Accolades and Ohana
by daffodil729
Summary: After a mission is declassified, Steve receives the Navy Cross for valor in action. The ceremony brings together a slew of people from both his past and present, and he realizes that these groups know him as two completely different people. Not for the first time, he wonders which man he truly is, and which he'd rather be.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: As always, recognizable characters, catch phrases, etc. are not owned by me. I also claim no in-depth knowledge of Navy proceedings and honors. This is purely a work of fiction.

* * *

Danny Williams watched the Navy ensign enter the Five-0 office. The young man hesitated as if he wasn't sure where to go from there. Danny stepped out of his office.

"Hey, there," he said with a smile. "Can I help you with something?"

"Uh, yes, sir," the man said. "My name is Ensign Thomas Lewis. I'm looking for Commander Steven McGarrett." He held an official-looking envelope in his hands.

"He's out of the office but should be back soon. Is there anything I can help you with? I'd be happy to pass that on to him if you'd like."

Ensign Lewis gave a tight-lipped smile. "No, sir, but thank you. I have strict orders to deliver this straight to the commander."

"I think this is something important," Junior said quietly to Lou as they watched from across the room. "Look at the Naval Seal and the way his name is in calligraphy."

"Huh," Lou commented. "I wonder what this is all about."

* * *

Steve breezed into the Five-0 Headquarters a few minutes later. Continuing to read a report as he opened the door, he didn't look up to see the group gathered before him until he was already well into the office.

"Commander McGarrett, sir," Ensign Lewis stood at attention. Even though Steve was wearing civilian clothes, he immediately slipped into what Danny regularly referred to as "Commander mode." His body language changed right away, and it was easy to see the respect he commanded. He surveyed Ensign Lewis as the man saluted him.

"At ease, Ensign," Steve said easily. He frowned slightly, not mincing words. "What can I help you with?"

"I was sent to deliver this, sir," Ensign Lewis said, handing Steve the official-looking envelope. After Steve took it, Ensign Lewis continued to stand in the lobby. "I was also informed I should stay to make sure you open it, sir," he said a bit nervously. "And to tell you I would not leave until you had read the letter and given a response in return."

"And who gave you those orders, Ensign Lewis?"

"The Secretary of the Navy, sir."

Junior drew in a deep breath, impressed. Steve, on the other hand, snorted.

"Jack's pulling rank then?" Steve asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"It would seem so, sir."

Steve opened the letter and read it, frowning as he did. "No."

Ensign Lewis looked confused. "Sir?"

"He wanted a response. 'No' is my response."

"He thought you would say that, sir, so I have another message from him as well." Ensign Lewis looked even more nervous. He cleared his throat. "He said, and I quote, 'If he says no, tell that stubborn son of a bitch that he knows damn well he deserves it, and he'll accept it and be happy about it or there'll be hell to pay.'"

Steve narrowed his eyes.

Ensign Lewis quickly added, "He also said that I should expect you to have me court marshalled for speaking to you like that, sir, but that he would clear things up when he got here this weekend. He said nobody was ever worse off for spending a few days in the brig. Builds character, he said, sir." Ensign Lewis was doing his best to look unafraid.

Steve looked at him sternly for a moment, then burst into laughter and shook his head. "Fine. Please relate that this is not needed, that I was only doing my job, but I'll accept the damn medal at his stupid ceremony if he insists. I'd hate to embarrass his ass, given how important he thinks he is. Do you need to write that down? I expect it to be word-for-word."

Ensign Lewis grinned. "No, sir, I think I can remember that. He also said he and Mrs. North will arrive on Sunday at 1500 hours for a week of island fun at your discretion. He expects a tour of Five-0, dinner from the shrimp place you took him last time, and to meet Callie. Not necessarily in that order."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Did you have to memorize all this mess?"

"Yes, sir. I had to repeat it back to him verbatim over the phone after I was given the assignment. I believe I'm being used as part of an attempt at humor, sir."

"You got it in one, Ensign."

* * *

After Ensign Lewis walked out, Steve retreated to his office without saying a word to his team. The others stood curiously. Finally, Junior slowly picked up the letter and read it.

"Holy shit," Junior breathed. "He's being awarded the Navy Cross for valor in action during an op. The op was classified until recently, which is why it has taken so long for the award recommendation to become public knowledge."

"What does that mean?" Tani asked.

"It means our boss is a hero and is going to have the second-highest award in the armed services to show for it."

"Wow," Lou said. "When's the ceremony?"

"Two weeks. Better break out your dress uniforms, guys. This is major, major stuff."


	2. Chapter 2

Danny stood quietly and watched his partner from outside his office. Steve was sitting at his desk, staring straight ahead and lost in thought. Steve was a decorated officer; Danny knew that. And soon, Steve would add another honor and medal to an already impressive list. But standing there, watching a man who seemed so forlorn, he wondered what all he didn't know about his partner's past.

* * *

"Hey, babe," Danny said as he walked into Steve's office. He'd given the man enough time. It was time to talk now. "So Junior says this is a really big deal?"

Steve rubbed his face. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Yeah. It is. And I'm honored, I really am, but it's just not necessary, you know? I only did what anyone else would do in that situation."

"Somehow I doubt that, babe. They don't just give these things away for nothing, you know."

Steve shrugged. "I did my job, Danno. That's all. They were my team, my responsibility, so, yeah, I did everything I could to get them back home. The mission went all to hell for a while, but we ended up being successful."

"All in a day's work, huh?"

"Something like that," Steve smiled tightly, then huffed again. "Anyway, it's not my choice to receive the medal. Jack would kill me if I denied it."

"So who is this Jack?"

"Jack North was my commanding officer when I first came out of SEAL training. Since then, he's come up the ranks and now he's SecNav."

"Wow."

"Yeah. He's done really well. He's a great guy; you'll like him. He took me under his wing when I joined his team. His only child had passed just before—Aaron was on active duty-and I think I filled a void for him. He filled a pretty big void for me, too. You know how the situation was with my family."

Danny nodded, beginning to understand the relationship a bit better. "Y'all stayed in touch?"

"Oh yeah," Steve nodded. "He came out the last time we had a couple weeks off. You were in Jersey though, so you missed meeting him. I've been out to DC a good bit too, and we keep in touch through texts and calls and stuff. His wife's great, too. They're just special people, Danno. They definitely didn't deserve the hand they were dealt, as far as Isaac goes, but they're two of the best people you'll ever meet."

"Sounds like someone else I know."

* * *

Steve called the team together a few days later. "Okay. You know about the ceremony coming up." He averted his eyes for a moment, then raised his head to continue addressing his team, making eye contact with each of them. "Each of you will be getting an invitation in the next few days for you and your family, or a guest. As much as I don't think this is necessary, the Navy Cross isn't awarded often and so the media coverage is going to be pretty heavy and from what I've heard expected attendance is already a bit out of hand and…," he sighed heavily, "I'd just really like to have you guys there. Please don't feel obligated—"

"Sir," Junior interrupted. "To be invited is an honor, not an obligation. Thank you, sir."

"Brown noser," Lou muttered with a grin.

"Nah," Tani said. "It's just his huge case of hero worship. He totally doesn't expect a thing in return."

Junior rolled his eyes at the two of them. "I'm serious. This is a huge award. They don't come around often, and to be _invited?_ The likelihood of that happening in a lifetime is slim to none."

"I agree," Jerry interjected, feeling like he needed to add something to the conversation.

"Listen. I can go ahead and tell you we'll be there," Danny said. "All kidding aside, we know this is important, babe. We wouldn't miss it for the world." The rest of the team nodded along with him. "Did you invite Chin and Kono too?"

"I did. They're coming. There will be a reception immediately after, then another party that night for a much smaller number of people. You're invited to both of those too." Steve grimaced. "It's going to be an all day affair. Don't feel like you have to do it all."

"Just like it should be," Danny said, bumping Steve's shoulder. "It's a big award, babe. We'll be there for everything."

Steve nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly, looking at each of his team members.

Tani recognized the need for a change of topic and quickly thought of a way to lighten the mood.

"Will there be dancing?" she asked teasingly.

"You don't think I can dance?" Steve questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, no, I'm sure _you_ can." She grinned slyly. "I just can't wait to see _them._ " She motioned toward the other four men.


	3. Chapter 3

"Steven McGarrett, as I live and breathe!"

The plump gray haired woman hurried toward Steve in the airport terminal. "You are a sight for sore eyes, honey!" she exclaimed, hugging him tight.

He hugged her back, kissed her cheek, and dropped a purple lei over her head. "Aloha. It's so good to see you."

"Oh, goodness, you too!" She hugged him again. "I'm so glad you're receiving this award. You certainly deserve it, sweetheart."

"Aw, I don't know about that. But I am glad to see you, and if that's what it takes to get you to visit Hawaii, then I guess it's worth it, right?" He grinned. "Where's Jack?"

"Oh, I left him to get the bags. Told him I couldn't wait another second to see you."

Steve shook his head at Sally North. He was thankful to have these two people in his life, and to have had them as mentors and stand-in parents for so long. He had leaned on their guidance and wisdom for a long time now, and hoped he would continue to have the opportunity to do so long into the future.

Jack came through the terminal just then with a luggage cart and enough bags for a month.

"Oh, wow…" Steve said.

"Lots of things can be said about Sally North, but no one can ever call her unprepared for a social event while on vacation." He grinned at Steve before embracing the taller man warmly. "Good to see you, son."

"Good to see you too. You had a good flight?"

"We did. It's always good to fly commercial once in a while."

"What he means," Sally clarified, "is that if he lets me act like a normal person every once in a while I don't fuss so much when he tells me we are going to get to our vacation destination by flying in the belly of a C130." She rolled her eyes.

Steve laughed.

* * *

"What are our plans for tonight?" Sally asked, looping her arm through Steve's as they strolled through the airport. Jack trailed behind them, pushing the huge cart of luggage.

"That depends on the two of you," Steve said. "If you aren't too tired, we can do dinner at my house with my team and Callie. That's the tentative plan. If you're tired, though, and that's completely understandable, we can have dinner just the three of us and then head to bed early."

"I think dinner with your team sounds lovely, Steven," Sally said. "We are on vacation in Hawaii. There is no time for rest!"

* * *

"Ma'am, it is a pleasure to meet you," Lou Grover said, shaking Sally's hand later that evening.

"Likewise, Captain," Sally said with a smile. "You work with my Steven?"

"Yes, ma'am. He was a thorn in my side when I first met him, to be honest."

"Surely not! Not my boy!" She said in mock indignation. "I don't believe it for a second. I have never known Steven to be anything but easy to get along with."

She and Lou shared a laugh. "Stubborn and headstrong though he is, you'll never meet a better man," she said softly to the group. "He brought back my Isaac, you know."

Jack patted her leg. "That he did. We'll never be able to repay him for that. He's one of the best."

"He really is," Danny agreed, while the rest of the team nodded.

* * *

The group sat around the lanai after dinner: Steve, Callie, Jack, Sally, Danny, Grace, Lou, Tani, Junior, Jerry and Naelani. Beau played nearby, furiously chasing a butterfly that just evaded his reach.

"What are your plans this week, sir?" Junior asked. He was still in shock that he'd had dinner with the Secretary of the Navy.

"Son, I'm just Jack right now, okay?" he smiled at Junior. "You can calm down."

"Sorry, si—Jack."

"That's better. Tomorrow I think I'm going to work with your boss. I hear Five-0 is something to see."

"It is," Junior confirmed.

"Then the rest of the week, we'll be mostly sightseeing, although I do have a couple of Naval things to attend to. Namely the fact that the recipient of the upcoming Navy Cross has yet to return the phone call of the very nice PR lady at Pearl to let her know if he'll be wearing dress whites or dress blues. Until he does, she can't tell the rest of the officers what to wear, and everybody's getting all antsy. Which may be said recipient's goal in the first place." He raised his eyebrows at Steve. "He has been known to do such things in the past."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Steve said, a complete look of innocence on his face.

"I know which uniform I prefer," Sally said with a smile.

"We know," Jack and Steve answered in unison, rolling their eyes.

"You just have such good coloring for the dress whites, Steven. And the whites are so sharp."

"The dress whites are nice," Callie agreed.

"There's not much better than a sailor in white," Tani said. "The Navy has always had the best uniforms."

"Uncle Steve's dress whites are my favorite too," Grace said, nodding along with Sally. "That's what you should wear."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Since when do you get a vote?" he teased. "Or you, for that matter?" he looked at Tani.

"Since they agree with us, obviously," Sally said. Callie nodded. "So, decision made? I'll call PR at Pearl in the morning. You don't have to do a thing." She patted his knee as she stood up.

"What just happened?" Steve asked as the ladies left the table.

"Women," Jack said. "Women just happened."

* * *

Steve and the team were standing at the tech table looking at the screen when voices came from behind them.

"Would you look at that, boys. His body language hasn't changed a bit. How many times have we seen that stance as he gave us orders—hands on hips, shoulders back. I bet I know exactly what his face looks like just now," Scott Jackson commented to the other four men with him.

"Always has to be _commanding_ something," Eric Little said. "So damn _bossy._ "

"This office sure beats the hell out of a tent in the desert though," Aaron Black said, whistling as he looked around the Five-0 headquarters. "Not a speck of dirt in sight. I bet that makes him happy."

Steve, hearing the familiar voices, stopped talking and turned. He broke into a huge grin. "What are you guys doing here?"

The members of Five-0 didn't miss the perfect salutes the men gave Steve before exchanging hugs and slaps on the back with him.

"Funny you should ask," Greg Allen said. "It seems that a certain commander that we all served under is being awarded the Navy Cross for valor in combat, but forgot to call us. What's that all about?"

Steve shook his head. "It's not…"

"YES, IT IS!" the five men chorused.

"It is a big deal, Smooth Dog," Scott said. "They don't just give these away for nothing. And—did you forget?—we were there. We know exactly what went down. So, yes, it is a big deal and it's important and it's well deserved. And we're here to show our support at the ceremony. And then we're here to celebrate. Big time." The others grinned and nodded in agreement.

"When I got word it was finally happening, I called up Jack, who put me in touch with Callie. And, now, here we are…all yours for the next ten days," Jay Watson told him. "We weren't going to miss this, Commander. Not a chance."

Steve shook his head. "I can't believe it," he said, grinning. "Come on in and meet my team."

Steve led the group further into the Five-0 office and began introductions. After smiles and handshakes were exchanged, everyone grabbed chairs and sat around the common area.

"Hey, wanna know a secret?" Jay asked conspiratorially. "I'm giving the introductory speech on Saturday!"

The group was silent. "No," Steve said slowly. "Jack said—"

"Nope," Jay grinned. "Jack said he was doing the _presenting of the award_. _I_ , Commander, sir, will be giving the introductory speech."

"No," Steve said. "Hell no."

"I second that sentiment," Scott said. "No way in hell someone should give you a microphone."

"It's true, boys," Jay said proudly. "Mic's all mine. I don't even have a time limit."

"Shit," Steve said.

"I second _that_ sentiment," Aaron said.

* * *

The group of people gathered at Steve's for dinner that night was even bigger than the night before. The SEALs brought with them copious amounts of alcohol and a devil-may-care attitude, and, suddenly, dinner turned into a party. Steve, Jack, and Sally were familiar with this lifestyle and fell into it easily. Danny was surprised how much more relaxed and carefree Steve seemed around this group. He didn't know why. Steve seemed closer to them in some ways, and that bothered him a bit. As another round of shots was poured, Jay said, "Hey, has Smooth Dog even told you why he's getting this award?"

Callie was the only one he'd been specific with. Everyone else he'd given a very basic, generic version of the truth.

"Thought not," he drawled in his Texas accent. "Jackie, why's he so damn modest?"

"Can't say," Jack replied. "But you call me Jackie again and it will be the last time you walk."

Jay immediately sobered some. "Yes, sir," he cleared his throat while the other SEALs laughed at his discomfort. "I stepped on a trip wire. He traded places with me; shifted weight so we didn't set it off. Sent us to the exfil site. A group of insurgents came along. He convinced them to disarm the wire, then he killed all seven of them single handedly and with no weapon, and saved over a hundred boys ages twelve and under in the process. That, friends, is what valor in combat looks like."

Danny caught Steve's eye.

 _Seven?_ he mouthed. Steve shrugged uncomfortably.

This was what had been hard for him for years—this line he walked between two different lives. The people he spent his life with now, his team, his _ohana,_ really had no idea what he was capable of. They didn't know the things he had done. Sure, it had been done for God and country, for the greater good, but when you said some of those things aloud…he didn't sound like Gracie's Uncle Steve or the person who raised tons of money every year for the Widows and Orphans Fund or the guy who was so touched by having a stupid Christmas stocking at Danny's house or the man who painstakingly planned the most amazing proposal for Callie.

He sounded like someone to be feared. He sounded like a monster.


	4. Chapter 4

Callie awoke to the sound of Steve mumbling in Arabic. He was clearly in distress, caught somewhere deep in the clutches of a nightmare. Careful not to touch him, Callie called his name several times before he woke with a gasp, eyes wide and frantic.

She gave him a minute before she pressed on his arm. She didn't want to alarm him, but she needed to ground him; remind him of where he was, who he was with.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, her voice calm and sure. Her insides were shaking, but he didn't need to know that.

"I need to wash my hands," he mumbled. "There's blood on my hands." He rubbed his palms together, smoothing them on the sheets and on his shirt.

Her heart broke. "Steve, it was a nightmare. There's no blood on your hands."

He looked at her, his eyes wide and unfocused. "Nightmare? No blood?"

"Nightmare," she confirmed. "You're fine. Everything's fine."

"Okay," he nodded. "Okay." She could tell he was trying to get his breathing back under control. Suddenly, he threw the covers back and rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Callie leaned against the headboard, and rubbed at her face as listened to the sound of him gagging pitifully.

* * *

She tapped on the bathroom door before opening it and stepping in. Steve was sitting on the floor, arms and head resting on one knee that drawn up to his chest. He looked up as she came in, gratefully taking the bottle of water she offered him and gave her an apologetic half-smile.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

She sat down beside of him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Nothing to be sorry about, babe. We can't control our unconscious, and we can't control our body's reaction to it."

"It's just…" he trailed off.

She sat up, looking him in the eye. "Listen, Steve. You don't owe me, or anyone else, an explanation. You did what you had to do to make it home, and you saved a lot of innocent lives in the process. There's no problem with that. It's war. It is messy and ugly and not always black and white. You have a huge heart—that's your blessing and your curse, babe. Even after all you've seen, even with the job you do now, you still look for the best in people. Not many people could do that. Most would become cynical and bitter." She shook her head. "Don't doubt yourself, Steve. You've had to do hard things, but you've done them for the right reasons. I know it doesn't make it easier, but the world is a better place because of you and people like you. The rest of us sleep easy at night because of you and your hard sacrifice."

Steve nodded, eyes bright with unshed tears. "It's just hard to forget things sometimes," he whispered.

She pulled him closed, letting his head rest against her chest. She kissed the top of his head. "I know. It's because you're a good guy, Steve. A really good guy. Don't ever forget that."

* * *

It took some work, but Callie managed to convince Steve to skip his morning run and swim and sleep instead. She called Danny to let him know Steve would be a little late coming in. She knew they didn't have any open cases, and she was determined to let him sleep until he woke up on his own.

"Everything okay?" Danny asked.

"Yeah," Callie sighed. "He just had a lot on his mind and didn't sleep well. He's sleeping now, though."

"That's good." Danny knew how much his partner had struggled with sleep over the years. "I don't want all this to cause him to, ah, slip, you know."

"I understand, Danny," Callie said. "It's bound to bring up some things, but he'll be okay. We'll watch him."

"Yeah, we will."

* * *

"He's still sleeping?" Jack asked as Callie joined them on the lanai with coffee.

"He hasn't moved at all," Callie told him with a smile. She had told Jack and Sally about the nightmare earlier.

"Good," Sally said. "Did he have to take anything?"

"No."

Sally looked relieved. "That's good. I worry about him. There was a lot of good that came out of that mission, but it did a number on him, too."

"I have a special guest coming to the ceremony," Jack said. "I haven't told him." He smiled. "It's one of the kids, Callie. The oldest one from that day. He's coming here, and he has pictures and updates from every single child Steve saved that day. Not a single one chose to become an insurgent, Cal. Not a single one. They're teachers, doctors, students, fathers, farmers, pastors. Not soldiers."

Callie couldn't help but cry.

* * *

The Five-0 team walked into their leader's house to find a living room full of Navy SEALs and the Secretary of the Navy. Dress white jackets, medal boxes, medals, swords, ribbons, and an assortment of other things were scattered about.

"What's all this?" Lou asked.

"This," Scott swept his arm around the room, "is medal ceremony prep 101. Welcome. Grab yourself a ruler and join the party."

"Everything has to be straight?" Jerry asked.

"Everything has to be damn perfect, or else that guy won't let us out of the house," Aaron pointed his finger at Jack.

"That's right, boys," Jack grinned. "I trained your commander, therefore I am responsible for you. There will not be any crooked medals or scuffed shoes or missing swords," he gave a pointed look to Steve. "Or gloves."

"So why are you switching the ribbons out for the medals?" Danny asked.

"Medals have to be worn for official ceremonies," Steve answered, sliding another medal onto the medal bar.

"Why does Uncle Steve have more than you?" Charlie asked. He pointed at Jack. "He has a lot too."

"Well, you see, those two men are what you call _highly decorated officers_ ," Jay answered him with a smile. "You know how you decorate a Christmas tree?" Charlie nodded. "Well, the Navy decorated them because they did lots of special stuff. You only get these medals when you do really special things—they're like awards. See that one? That's because your Uncle Steve went to Afghanistan to fight against the bad guys. This one is because he's really good at shooting, he's what's called an expert rifleman."

"Cool," Charlie said.

"Yeah. Very cool," Jay answered him. "Now, keep in mind, the rest of us are kind of cool too. Just not as cool as him. Or the SecNav there."

"What's that one for?" Charlie pointed to the Purple Heart.

The living room got quiet. "Well, buddy, that one's really special. None of the rest of us have that one, not even the SecNav," Aaron explained quietly, watching Steve for a reaction, hoping he was on the right track. "Steve got hurt one day, Charlie," Aaron stopped and cleared his throat. "Really bad. But he made it. We made it." Aaron caught the eye of every man in the room. "We've always made it."

Steve gave a nod. "Hooyah, brothers."

"Hooyah!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Cars will be here in ten minutes," Jack yelled from the landing as he checked his watch. Callie came down the stairs then in a short, simple navy dress and matching heels. "Cal! You're a vision, sweetheart," he gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. "Where's your other half?"

"Would you calm down, Jack!" Steve yelled from upstairs. "No one is going to be late! And I can guaran-damn-tee you they're not going to start without us anyway!"

"Hi," Jay said to the Five-0 team with a winning smile as they entered the house to the sound of yelling. "Welcome to hell. We're so glad you could join us."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Jay's being a bit dramatic."

"Dramatic? Steve's been snapping at everyone who even looks at him, Jake keeps yelling about how much time we have left, the damn dog chewed my shoe—"

"Don't talk about the damn dog!" Steve yelled from upstairs.

"—Scott is MIA, nobody likes dress uniforms, especially when they have to wear gloves, which we do today, and it sucks, Jake won't let anybody drive themselves because he thinks we'll go AWOL which means that Steve will end up puking—"

"I've already taken Dramamine. Not gonna puke," Steve yelled again.

"Fantastic," Jay threw his hands into the air. "That just means he's going to fall asleep and we're going to have to carry his Navy Cross-receiving ass out of there."

"Didn't mix it with Ambien this time," Steve said, jogging down the stairs, cover under his arm. "I should be good."

"Emphasis on should," Aaron said drily.

"Look at you, Commander," Danny said. "Very spiffy."

"He's right," Tani agreed. "You look good, boss."

"Thanks. You guys do, too." He sighed. "You can see straight through these pants. I hate dress whites."

"It's because your legs are too tan," Jack offered. "If you were pasty white like the rest of us, it wouldn't be as noticeable. You ready?"

"Yes, sir," Steve said.

"Let's go get us a Navy Cross," Scott said, clapping Steve on the back. "Then get drunk off our asses on the Navy's dime."

"Whining will not be tolerated tomorrow morning, boys," Sally said as she breezed by the group. "Nor will I hold anyone's head out of the toilet or be forced to create a sympathy-inducing cover story similar to the one I spun in response to an admiral's question about why his Silver Star recipient couldn't make it through breakfast and nearly threw up at the table he was sharing _with the President._ You are Navy SEALs. No one will end up with alcohol poisoning tonight. There will be no arguments, no physical fights, and no trouble of any kind. Am I clear, boys?"

"Yes, ma'am," the group chorused, having the decency to look sheepish.

"However," she countered. "In the event of an unforeseen circumstance, you know my number."

Renee laughed. "Oh, wow. It sounds like you have had your hands full a few times, Sally."

"You have no idea what those SEALs are capable of, my dear," Sally said. "No idea at all. Some of the smartest men you'll ever meet, individually, but you put them together as a group with a little down time, and all bets are off."

* * *

As the group headed to the waiting cars sent by the Navy, Lou simply could not let it go. "Which one of you nearly got sick with the President?"

"That'd be your boy there, Lou," Eric grinned and nodded toward Steve.

"It was not one of my finer moments," Steve grimaced.

"Ah, but it was one of your funnier ones," Greg said.

Sally smiled. "And it did earn me quite a nice amount of pocket change."

"How so?" Danny asked.

"Because they're all horrible people," Steve said with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, not me," Jack said. "I wasn't involved in that at all."

"We placed bets on how long he'd last and which course it would be," Scott explained. "It was a two part bet based on a point system. Quite complicated for a group of very hungover sailors, mind you. And don't let Jack fool you—the only reason he didn't participate was because he was too busy being on edge to place his bet, because it wasn't a question of _if,_ it was a question of _when."_

Jack gave a slight shrug. "They may have me there, Steve."

"Of course they do."

"And Miss Sally won?" Lou asked.

"Time _and_ course," Sally said proudly. "Full points, the only one who swept the grid."

"Terrible people," Steve muttered.

"Don't listen to him," Jay said. "It was _hilarious."_

"So time and course?" Danny asked.

"9:45-9:50 was my window, and main course," Sally said. She chuckled at the memory. "He did okay through the receiving line, though he did blanch at the libations. At that point he was still swearing he was never drinking again. First course was fine—pastries and fruits and such. He didn't eat, but kept up his end of the conversation and politely picked at his food to give the impression of eating. Then came the poutine," She laughed at the memory. "The President kept trying to get him to try it, kept telling him what was in it. That was when the convulsive swallowing started. When the main dishes were served family-style and the one in front of Steve was something called a Pork Belly Omelet, that was it. He was done for."

"God, it was embarrassing," Steve said, shaking his head.

"At least you made it out of the ballroom," Scott said. "Could have been a lot worse than it was."

"But the President knew you were sick?" Tani asked.

"Oh, yeah," Greg answered for Steve. "The commander here couldn't suppress a full out _gag_ at the table. There was no doubt he was sick."

"It was awful," Steve confirmed. "So, so awful."

"And yet, so, so hilarious," Jay grinned. "So when we're recognized the next time for something, Steve is downright _praying_ that the President doesn't remember, right? It was a smaller number of people this time, we're standing around and talking before dinner, and the President leans over to Steve and says in his ear, "No omelets tonight, son. I promise," and grins like the cat that ate the canary."

The group erupted in laughter.

"Oh shut up," Steve said good-naturedly. "Let's go."

* * *

As the cars approached Pearl Harbor, Five-0 detected a change in the SEALs. The easy, teasing banter of the last few days stopped. Gloves were donned, faces fell into stoic masks, and there was a different feeling in the air. As they stepped out, tight smiles in place, they were all business. Jack and Steve, along with Sally and Callie, led the way, pausing when it was necessary. The PR department had been right-the media turnout was unreal, as was the attendance of the general public. While the citizens wouldn't be in the area of the actual ceremony, they would be able to watch it on large screens in different viewing areas around the harbor.

Along the way, the group grew in number. Kamekona and Flippa were waiting, dressed to the nines in suits and hats. Mary and Joanie were standing with Callie's parents, David and Caroline. Chin, Abby, and Sara were there, as well as Kono and Adam. Grace and Charlie had decided to ride with Samantha and Will. It seemed like Danno had wanted to stay with Uncle Steve, and Lou thought the members of Five-0 should remain together for the purpose of support and solidarity. He had talked with Steve enough about missions over the years to know that some were more tender spots than others. He wasn't exactly sure what this mission had entailed, but to be receiving the Navy Cross for valor, it had to have been major. The kids, young as they were, had grown up in police families-they got it, no questions asked.

Grace could see her uncle's face was tense. He was smiling, but the smile wasn't reaching his eyes anymore. This was the part of war that made her the most angry-it never left a person. She'd watched her uncle jump when he heard the sounds of a video game Will had brought over. Will saw it too-the way Steve flinched, tense, the stress on his face evident. Without saying anything to any of the adults, they'd thrown the game away that night. Will would never purchase another war game. She knew he'd lost men on missions, knew he'd lost friends. She knew he'd seen and done things she couldn't imagine, all so she'd never have to. She was thankful for him and all the men and women like him.

Grace dropped Charlie's hand, leaving him with Will, and went to Steve. Sure, Charlie loved Steve and Steve loved Charlie, but their relationship was not like the relationship she and Steve had. She hugged him tight.

"The dress whites are my favorite," she grinned. "You look good, Uncle Steve."

"The whites have always been your favorite." Steve gave a short laugh. "I've known that since your fourth grade career day when you insisted I wear them to speak to your class."

"And I've known since my fourth grade career day that I have you wrapped around my little finger. Even if you would only wear the working whites," she teased.

He laughed. "Isn't that the truth!"

She leaned back and looked at his eyes. "I love you, Uncle Steve."

"I love you too, Gracie." He hugged her again. "Listen. I don't know how much about the mission will be told today. I don't know what you'll hear about what I've done but-"

"I do," she interrupted him. "I know exactly what I'll hear. I'll hear that you've done hard things and had to make hard choices for the sake of our country and freedom. I'll hear that war is horrible and miserable, but there are some things worth fighting for and we should always stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. I'll hear that even in the worst situations, people can still be good. I'll hear that you're a real-life hero, which won't surprise me at all, because I've known that for years-because you're _my_ hero, Uncle Steve. You always have been, and you always will be. That's what I'll hear."

"Gracie," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. He kissed the top of her head. "Thank you. Thank you."

She glanced up at his eyes. They were wet, but light and untroubled.

Mission accomplished.


	6. Chapter 6

The ceremony started promptly at ten o'clock. Jack took to the podium to welcome family and friends, the brass, government officials, the media. "I should tell you at this point that if you have attended a Navy Cross ceremony before, this one will probably be nothing like it. You see, today is about awarding one of our own. That doesn't often happen. Usually we get the opportunity to present awards to men and women we've never had the opportunity to serve with or under, to train, to befriend. Today, as Secretary of the Navy, I am thankful and blessed to have that very opportunity. Today we will award the Navy Cross to Commander Steven J. McGarrett of the United States Navy. I had the pleasure of being Commander McGarrett's commanding officer for several years early in his career. More so, though, I have had the pleasure of being his mentor and friend. To understand the reason for the presentation of this prestigious award today, you'll be hearing from multiple people. At this time, I will turn the introductory remarks over to Petty Officer Jay Little."

There was a polite round of applause as Jay moved to the center of the stage.

"Fellas, I have the mic," he directed his comment toward Steve and the group of SEALs gathered around him, then looked at the larger group of people. "Y'all better settle in, because, boy, do I have a story to tell."

"My story starts before I was even born. My dad wanted to join the Navy. Dreamed of it as he grew up, wanted it so bad he could taste it. Right before he graduated from high school and could join, his own dad passed away. He was the oldest of a family of six. Leaving home wasn't an option anymore—he had to stay and help the family. You have to know the backstory to understand everything that came after, you see. I grew up in a very patriotic family. We were proud Americans, Texans, and nothing was finer than the US Navy. Pops was grinning from ear to ear the day I graduated from Annapolis. That was also the day we all met Commander Steven McGarrett for the very first time.

Commander McGarrett was there to give part of the commencement speech. I'd heard of him—who hadn't?—and I hung on his every word. I mean, this man standing before my graduating class was being talked about by COs as the best they'd ever seen. He ran black ops without a hitch. Worked the other side like it was nothing. That speech was nothing short of awe-inspiring. In fact, he got a standing ovation. At a graduation. I kid you not.

Now, friends, the best part about this is how absolutely _pissed_ he was that Jack here had sent him to give that speech. He was not there by his own will, that's for sure, even though everyone in attendance was none the wiser. Apparently, from what I came to understand much later, it was the result of a very large bet that went very wrong."

Jack and Steve were both laughing softly, remembering how angry McGarrett had been that day.

"But I digress. Afterwards, my parents and I happened to run into Commander McGarrett as he was leaving. It fueled my infatuation, sure, but it was love at first sight for both my parents. My pops, straight as the proverbial arrow, developed his first man crush that day. And mama? She was smitten. He was just so nice, she said, and had those blue eyes and those eyelashes that were just to die for. God, if I heard about that man's eyelashes once, I heard about them a thousand times." He paused for the crowd to laugh. "And he does have nice eyelashes. Not that I've paid attention, sir," he said to McGarrett.

"And so when I came out of BUD/s, and realized I was being assigned to his team, my family and I might have well as won the lottery. I bounded onto that plane headed for Afghanistan without a bit of hesitation. There was another team headed out at the same time and I was sharing the plane with them. They asked where I was headed and who my CO was. I proudly told them, puffing out my chest a bit I'm sure.

And they looked at me, chuckled, and said, "Buddy, you only _thought_ Hell Week was bad. McGarrett's like a never-ending Hell Week. Good luck to you."

I was a little taken aback by that statement, but it didn't dampen my excitement at all. No, sir. I was on my way to the big leagues.

When I got to the base, the commander's team was just coming back from a mission. In hindsight, I should have waited. But I was just so dang excited, you know? I'm a SEAL and I'm on a team and I'm in the thick of things. So I see them coming into base, right? Bloody, bruised, dirty, just exhausted. And, like an idiot, I run to them. "Commander McGarrett," I say. "My name is Special Operator Jay Watson. I'm here to join your team, Sir." And I give the most perfect salute of my life, right? I mean, _this is my moment_. And I get no reaction from him at all, other than looking me up and down. And I'm nervous, right? So I do what I always do and start talking. I talk about the turbulence on the plane and how I was a little sore, how there was no in-air service, how I had to sit in one of the jump seats even though I was a SEAL and should have been able to put my hammock up front. I stretched a tiny bit and then asked where I could catch a shower—I felt a little dirty from my trip, you know. I was running to keep up with his stride by this point, still talking, and he just stopped. I kept complaining about how my back was sore from the flight. He looked me square in the eye and knocked the hell out of me. Never breaking eye contact, he says, "Now your mouth's sore, too," and walks off telling his 2IC to deal with that. The 2IC, a delightful guy named Scott Jackson, just glares at me, sarcastically thanks me for making his life so much harder, and runs to catch up to McGarrett. Each guy passes me, shaking his head like I just might be the biggest idiot they've ever seen until I found myself with the last guy to join the team. He wasn't happy about helping me, but he did it, and he gave me some pretty sound advice while he patched me up and showed me to my bunk: Don't talk to McGarrett when he first gets back from missions; don't talk to him first thing in the morning; avoid him like the plague if his sister Mary calls."

The crowd chuckled, especially those who knew Steve and Mary's often tumultuous relationship. Mary caught her brother's eye and grinned. Steve grinned back, winking.

"I followed Aaron Black's advice, kept my head down and my mouth shut, and never got popped in the mouth again.

"Being part of my hero's team was the most amazing thing I've ever done. That's not to say it was easy. Excuse the Naval pun here, but Commander McGarrett ran a tight ship, just like I'm sure he continues to do at Five-0. When we were getting ready to head into a mission, he developed this laser-like focus. Barely eating, barely sleeping, he lived that mission. He knew it backwards and forwards and upside down and he expected you to know it that way too. We never complained because he led from the front. He never asked us to do anything he wasn't already doing or wasn't willing to do alongside us. He was tight and he was tough, but, man, he was _good._ And, by default, so were we.

I will admit that I was intimidated by him. He laughed and talked with the others, even with Aaron some, but not me. I hadn't made it to that inner circle yet. I worked as hard as I could. It became my mission to make him proud of me. I know that sounds crazy coming from a grown man, but that's what a good leader does: They inspire you to the point where you want to be you best, every minute of every day.

"Not that he was perfect. He was—hell, still is—temperamental and moody, and he could be an _ass_. The strange thing was, any time you wanted to complain about him to somebody, the two of you could start, but then one of you would say "but…" and I'll be damned if you weren't talking about how yeah, he could be an ass, but he was damn good at what he did."

"The one time I complained to my pops about him on the phone, I was told that if I didn't do my absolute best and make that man proud, I'd better just not even come home.

See, folks, even my daddy loved him. Still does. Mama and Pops are here today." He pointed them out in the crowd. "But they also love him for another reason."

Jay took a deep breath.

"It was a clear February day when we were sent on a mission. From the start, everything was wrong. Our drop was rough. Our intel wasn't as solid as we'd been told it was. Our mission had been compromised and we walked into an ambush.

"The enemy had rigged doors, set trip wires, the whole nine yards. We were without communication and miles away from the exfiltration site. Steve was in bad shape; he'd busted some ribs and a shoulder on the drop in, probably had a concussion too, but the word 'quit' is not in that man's vocabulary and so the mission went on. We were there anyway, he said; might as well do what we could. And by "do what we could" he meant complete the mission. And we did. We kept on, we pushed back, we succeeded even when it looked like we wouldn't. The commander called for us to fall back and move out; mission accomplished. And then I stepped on that damn wire.

"I heard it click. I swear, it was as loud as thunder. I froze and broke out in a cold sweat. Commander McGarrett had been in front of me, and he froze as well. I guess it was a sixth sense kind of thing, but when he turned around, slow, I saw his eyes and I knew. I was in trouble. Big trouble.

"What happened next will be forever engrained in my mind. Sometimes, they say, in times of tremendous stress, you lose minutes, sometimes hours. Not so with this. I remember everything in living color.

 _"Scott," Commander McGarrett said, using his 2IC's given name, not his code name. His voice was calm and steady, but Scott could hear something in it that made his blood run cold._

 _"Steve? What is it?" Scott had turned around by this point, coming back to see what was wrong. "Ah, shit," he said when he realized what was going on. They both stood there, staring at me. "What're you thinking, boss?"_

 _Steve's hands went to his hips. The others had gathered around by that point. The situation was hopeless. I knew it. They knew it. The only person who refused to believe it was Commander McGarrett. I was near tears, but trying so hard to hide it. "Just go, sir," I said. "I messed up. It's on me, sir. No one else needs to get hurt."_

 _He didn't even act like he heard me._

" _Aaron," he said quietly. "You have com up and running?"_

" _Yes, sir," Aaron responded. Again, everyone recognized the use of given names._

" _I need Jack."_

" _Yes, sir."_ _Aaron set about getting Admiral Jack North on the phone. Admiral North was pulled out of a meeting in Washington, DC._

" _It's a call from down range, sir," the aide said. "Commander Steven McGarrett."_

 _Jack's stomach dropped. "I'll take it in my office."_

" _Steve?" Jack's voice came over the com line._

" _Jack. I have a situation." He explained what had happened, then took a breath._

" _No," Jack said. "No. I know what you're thinking and no. I forbid it. I won't allow it."_

" _Jack…" Steve said quietly._

" _It is not your damn place to save them all! You don't have to do this!"_

" _Yeah, well. Lead from the front and all that shit, right?"_

 _Jack snorted. "Shut up. And you're not calling to say goodbye, you hear me? Because I am going to kick your ass for this as soon as I see you. You will not deny me that."_

" _Aye aye, Captain," Steve replied, referring back to the officer's title when Steve first met him._

" _Fair winds and following seas, sailor."_

" _Love you, Jack."_

" _Love you, Steve."_

Hearing Jay talk about that conversation left the group of SEALs looking at the floor, at the sky, anywhere but at each other. It was nearly too much. Steve shifted in his seat and Callie smoothed her hand against his jacket sleeve.

Jay cleared his throat, then continued. "I had listened to the whole conversation, but didn't understand what was happening. I looked at the rest of the team.

 _Steve was taking off his helmet and vest._

" _What's he doing?" I asked._

 _I was greeted by silence and somber faces. Finally, Aaron took pity on me and answered. He smiled sadly. "He's going to take your place."_

 _I tried to talk him out of it. This was my mess. I wasn't being careful enough. I wasn't watching. I had let my guard down. But he wouldn't hear it._

 _He shook his head. "You're one of mine, Jay."_

Jay stopped speaking to wipe tears. "I swore I wouldn't cry. But that—that was something else. For someone to willingly lay down their life for yours. The Bible says there's no greater love than when one friend will lay down his life for another." Jay's voice broke. "And that day, Commander Steven McGarrett laid his down for me."

"I watched each of his men go to him. No one said they were saying goodbye, but that's what this was. It was goodbye, and they knew it.

"He made his weight as close to mine as possible, and, very, very carefully, he transferred his weight onto the trip wire while I transferred mine off. He nodded once at the group of us after checking his watch. He smiled at us, no sign of fear at all. "Exfil site. Now. Don't miss that flight out, boys."

"We stood there, not wanting to move. Not knowing _how_ to move. All of your training has said no man left behind, and then there you are—leaving your CO standing on a trip wire that he hadn't even tripped. Scott told him he wasn't leaving. Commander McGarrett very rarely pulled rank. He was part of the team, just like everyone else, and, even though he was obviously in charge, he always did it in a way that made you feel respected. He pulled rank that day though, and Scott would not disobey a direct order." Jay shook his head. "Leaving was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life.

"We kept listening for the explosion, kept waiting. Scott, who had been with McGarrett longer than any of us, finally said—'You're not going to hear it. He won't step off of it until he knows we're gone. He's not going to put that on us.'

"We didn't talk as we hiked to the exfil site. We didn't talk on the helo. We didn't talk during the debriefings. What was there to say? We'd left a man behind, a man who'd exchanged his life for mine."

Jay cleared his throat. "The area was packed with hostiles, and it was only a matter of time before a group came through and found Commander McGarrett. For anyone else, this would have been one more hit to add to the hell he was in. For McGarrett, though, it was an opportunity. You see, McGarrett, if you don't know, has a gift. He has a gift in the realm of bullshit. He can write it and he can talk it, and he can convince you of anything. _Anything._ Even if you know it isn't true, and you tell yourself that when you feel yourself start to fall for it, you still can't help it. It just happens. The SecNav there always said McGarrett could sell ice to an Eskimo, and he's probably right. So this group of insurgents come through, McGarrett speaks their language, and is able to convince them that a) he is harmless, and b) he can help them if they can disable the trip wire. They're familiar with this type of wire, so it takes them only minutes to disable it. Just like it only takes Commander McGarrett minutes to neutralize the threat. There were seven of them. He survives, shoulders and ribs still a mess, but nothing worse and sits, trying to figure out a plan for evac. A sixteen year old boy comes to him then. He watched the whole thing, because he'd been with the men. He tells the commander this, tells him how he'd been taken from his home over a year ago. He sits with Commander McGarrett for a while, then says, 'I need to show you something.'

"Commander McGarrett didn't have to trust this boy. A lot of people would probably say he shouldn't have. But that's who he is. And so Commander McGarrett went with him. But there's someone else who knows this part of the story better than me." He paused. "Allow me to introduce Akrim Abadi."


	7. Chapter 7

Akrim Abadi grinned from ear to ear as he took to the podium. "Commander McGarrett! Hello!"

Steve grinned, completely surprised, and nodded at Akrim.

"When the United States Navy called my home one day, I thought, 'What in the world? What would the Navy need with Akrim?' and then I started talking to a man named Jack. Jack explained that it was all about my dear friend Commander McGarrett and him receiving an award for what happened on the day that changed my life. And so I said to my wife and sons, We must go! I owe this man my life! And they knew his name because we talk about him often. My sons have heard the story perhaps a thousand times by now. They tell me they've passed on the story to their friends. And so they should. Because when you have the story of good that I have, you must share it. It must go on and on. Because the good is what matters in this world, in this life.

"Commander McGarrett asked me how I knew I could trust him. My father trusted the Americans. He believed in the good they were trying to do. He always told me, 'Akrim, if you find yourself needing help, you find one of those men in those uniforms. They are good. But those men with the eagles?' Akrim tapped his chest where the trident was worn on the SEALs' uniforms. 'They are the best.' They were like—what you say?— _super heroes._ But with no capes! Though I think the Commander's team would probably appreciate a good cape or two." The crowd laughed. "I want to tell you my story about why Commander McGarrett is a super hero.

"The Commander agreed to come with me so I could show him. We walked to a truck—the same truck I'd come from with the men—and I took him to the back. I rolled up the door and showed him what I wanted him to see—the boys who were going to be turned into soldiers or would have bombs strapped to their chests. The boys who, like me, had been stolen from their families in the night. I told him, I said, 'Please, sir, I have been praying for help and you have been sent. You are our only hope. Please help us.' You see, he didn't have to. He could have said no. He could have taken the easy way out. But he did not. Because good is not always easy. But he was—is—good and he said yes." Akrim chuckled. "He said yes even though he really did not like children." The crowd laughed again as Steve hung his head and nodded in acknowledgement. "He said yes even though they were dirty and smelled and— _horror_ for him—cried often. The truck was nearly out of gas, and we were along a well-traveled road. We would be found soon. The commander and I worked together to get the boys off the truck a few at a time. We had to be careful—no one could be seen. He found a cave and hid them there, then returned for more. He muttered something about how it was like a hundred and one damn dalmatians. I didn't understand that at the time because I didn't know the movie, but I figured it out recently and oh how I laughed! The boys were amazed that he spoke Arabic and spoke it well. They were fascinated by him, as was I. Night fell and there were sounds of war in the distance, but I knew we were safe. The boys were growing hungry and thirsty. Commander McGarrett had given away everything he had, but he knew we had to find help soon. He had no communication, no options, and over a hundred children.

"He made the only decision he could—to start walking. He hoped to run into a convoy, he said. If not, it was over one hundred miles to the nearest base, the base where he was stationed. These miles were not flat. They were over mountains. Through valleys. In enemy territory. And he did it willingly, without a single thought to himself. He wrote coordinates on a piece of paper with a note before zipping it into his chest pocket. The coordinates of the cave. He was making provisions in case he didn't make it. It was written in code. The enemy would not be able to use it against him if it came to that. I hugged him then, harder than I had ever hugged anyone in my life, and then I started praying and didn't stop until I saw him again."

* * *

Jay and Akrim shook hands and changed places again. "This is where my part of the story picks up again. We were…a mess. We had never been in a situation like this before. What do you do without your CO? Your leader? Your brother? You lose your shit. Or at least that's what we did. As soon as we got back to base that day, we were working to get him back. We couldn't leave him there…in any shape. The biggest worry was that he had been captured. The wire had clearly been disabled. He wouldn't have been able to do that alone. It didn't add up. There were no other friendlies in the area. Jack flew in. No expense was going to be spared. Come hail or high water, he was going to be found.

"And we did find him. Found him when he walked his handsome ass right through the front gates of the base. Shoulder was wrecked and needed surgery, busted ribs were worse, severely dehydrated…but alive.

"He immediately told us about these kids in a cave. And we immediately looked at each other and shook our heads sadly. Our poor commander was hallucinating. Had to be, right? Because this story was too much. There's just no way.

"The commander is determined he's going to see this through and tells the medic who's treating him that he can either take the IV out of his arm or get the hell on the helo with us. Medic opts for the helo because he's convinced McGarrett is going to drop at any moment and off we go. And I'll be damned, there they are. McGarrett's hundred and one dalmatians. Hungry, thirsty, and scared, but fine.

"He single-handedly not only saved my life that day, but the lives of over one hundred children. These children, Commander McGarrett, were given the chance to grow up because of you," Jay cleared his throat, trying to talk past the emotion. "Because of your sacrifice that day, families were made whole again." He pointed to a screen behind him where pictures of young men of all different ages were flashing. "Akrim put all this together. Those boys became fine members of society, Commander McGarrett. They became teachers, doctors, pastors, farmers, fathers, husbands, store owners, council members… _not a single one became an insurgent, Steve_. When they were old enough to choose, not a single one chose that life. And every single one says it's because of you."

The group gathered for the ceremony was silent. Not a single eye was dry as they watched the commander lean forward, rest his forearms on his thighs, hang his head and weep.


	8. Chapter 8

Callie reached over and rubbed Steve's back. She felt his breath hitching under her hand as he tried to get his emotions back under control.

"Hey, it's okay, babe," she whispered. "It's okay."

After a few more sniffles and a deep, shuddering breath, he sat up and looked at Callie. He gave her a tiny smile.

"Sorry," he whispered. "It just…got me."

Protocols and PDA rules be damned, she thought, putting her hands on his face and wiping his tears before putting her forehead close to his. "I love you and your big heart, Steven McGarrett," she said softly.

Jay stood beaming at him from the stage, his own eyes bright with tears but a huge grin on his face. "And now, it is with great pride and pleasure and a whole hell of a lot of love that I turn this over to the Secretary of the Navy for the citation and presentation of the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett."

Jack stood and took center stage, then nodded to Steve. "Commander."

Steve saluted Jack and stood at attention as the citation was read aloud by another officer. A third officer stood to the side and opened a thin, polished wooden box, revealing the medal inside. Jack took the medal out, pinned it to Steve's lapel, and stepped back. He gave a straight, perfect salute to his mentee, the man he'd trained, the man he'd treated like a son for years. Then he hugged him, hard, to the applause of the crowd.

Jack turned back to the audience. "When I thought about how to end this, there was only one way that made sense." He gave a nod to Steve as he began. " _In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation's call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed._

 _Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America's finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life."_

Steve had realized he was reciting the SEAL Creed, and he joined in, voice strong and sure.

" _I am that man."_

Throughout the audience, SEALs began to stand and join in, beginning with Steve's team and then others. Danny had never seen anything like it, turning in his seat to take it all in. Junior stood proudly, thankful to be a part of this elite group of special operators, but even more grateful to be working for Commander McGarrett.

" _My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day._

 _My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own._

 _I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men._

 _Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond._

 _We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations._

 _I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight._

 _We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me – my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete._

 _We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend."_

"Wow," Will whispered to Grace, awed by the men around him and the words of the Creed.

"Yeah," she agreed.

 _Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed._

 _I will not fail."_

"Hoo-yah!"

The audience cheered.

* * *

Steve made his way slowly through the crowd. It hadn't been fifteen minutes since the ceremony had ended and he had started down the greeting line, and he was growing restless already. He hated this part of medal ceremonies, hated the obligatory small talk and fake smiles and feigned interest in what the other person was saying.

He got to Admiral Whitaker's wife and she grinned. She and Steve had attended many functions similar to these in the past and had found they had the same opinion of them.

"Having fun yet, Commander?' the elderly lady knowingly. She was easily old enough to be Steve's grandmother, but her mind was sharp and her humor was quick.

"Absolutely," Steve replied, giving her his best fake smile.

She laughed again. "I started out the day with mimosas and I brought my own goods to nip on during the ceremony," she said, secretly showing Steve a flask hidden in her purse.

"You have lost your mind!" he chuckled, kissing her cheek.

"Ah, you're just mad because ol' Jack there had you on a tight leash this morning. Did you even get coffee? Or did he think it would just wire you more?"

"One cup."

"See! I knew it! You need any of this to make it through the rest of the line and all that small talk?"

"Nah," Steve replied. "Thanks for the offer though."

"You just remember I've got it," she said knowingly. "These things go on forever."

He grimaced. "I know. Alright, I better move on," he said, giving her a quick hug. "You be good."

"Always, Commander," she winked. "Always."

* * *

Steve made it through the rest of the line without incident and breathed a sigh of relief as he went to find his teams—both SEAL and Five-0.

He had just made eye contact with them and started to head that way when a voice spoke up from behind him, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey, Sailor."

 _Catherine._


	9. Chapter 9

Steve turned to face her.

"Catherine," he said, voice and expression neutral.

Catherine was a bit disappointed in the lack of reaction from him. She thought her surprise attendance would have thrilled him.

"I couldn't miss this, Steve," she said, smiling broadly. "The Navy Cross? What an honor. I wanted to be here to support you. Congratulations." She laid a hand on his arm. He was too much of a gentleman to embarrass her, but he casually stepped away, removing himself from her touch. She recognized what he'd done at once, and she felt the sting of rejection.

"Thank you," he said kindly, expression still not giving anything away. "And it is an honor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to the reception."

With that, Steve turned to go, but Catherine caught his elbow. "Steve, wait. I thought maybe we could catch up while I'm here? Go surfing, get some dinner? I've missed you."

Steve shook his head. "No, Catherine. That time has long passed. It's good to see you, thank you for coming, but no. There was a time when I would have given anything for this, but not now."

She looked down, surprised by his blunt honesty. Somehow, she'd always figured he'd be there whenever she was ready. Whenever she got ready to settle down, when she was willing to put him before her career, he'd be there waiting. That's what she'd always told herself, and she was certain it was true.

But it wasn't. Here she was, ready to give their relationship a go again and he'd shut her down completely without even hearing her out.

She took a long look at him. "You look good," she said quietly. "You look happy." And he did. His eyes were light and untroubled, his brow smooth and not furrowed. His smile was familiar and boyish, one she hadn't seen since their early years of dating, and you couldn't help but smile along with him. He was obviously still working out and eating well, and it showed.

He smiled at her observation. "I _am_ happy. Work's good, team's good. Kono and Chin, well, you know Chin got an offer he couldn't refuse and Kono is making a huge difference in sex trafficking cases on the mainland. We found replacements for them and they're fantastic. They really are. Danno's good, Grace and Charlie are growing up too fast, but, man, they're such great kids."

"And you?" she questioned.

"And me? I met and fell in love with a great girl. I've never felt so…content, you know? Just happy. She gave me a puppy, which I never expected and didn't know I wanted, but he's pretty awesome. We got engaged a while back, and we're still trying to find the right date for the wedding. Both of our schedules are busy—she's a doctor—and so coordinating has been a little tough, but we'll get there." He grinned and shook his head. "Anyway…I gotta go. They've been waiting a while." He motioned to his left, where his friends were gathered waiting on him.

"Oh, right. Do you think they'd mind if I said hi? I haven't seen them since…" she trailed off.

Yes, Steve knew. She hadn't seen them since the last time she just up and left.

"Oh, I'm sure they'd like that," Steve said, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.

 _This should be fantastic._

* * *

"What the _hell_ is she doing here?" Danny growled as he glared at the woman talking to Steve.

The group looked in the direction he was facing.

"Oh this is nice," Lou said. "I'd love to hear how that conversation is going."

"Who is that?" Tani asked.

"That's Catherine," Kono answered. "She and Steve were…something…for years. Not consistently because they were both in the Navy and then he came here, but then she left the Navy and was able to live here. Then, all of a sudden, she decides she has to help a family and leaves for a long time after nearly getting Steve killed. She comes back, we think everything is settled, Danny even talks to her to see what her plans are and really thinks she's staying this next thing we know, she has joined the CIA and is on ops overseas."

"Whoa," Tani commented.

"Yeah, whoa," Kono agreed. "The fact that Doris had something to do with it didn't make things any better either."

"Hey, where is Doris, by the way?" Renee asked. "Does she know about the medal?"

"Deep undercover," Callie said. "Not that Steve tried really hard to get in touch with her. You know how that goes."

The group nodded.

"Anyway, you know how we are about ohana," Kono continued, shrugging. "She crossed all of us that last time."

"You knew about all this, right?" Kono asked Callie.

"Yep. No secrets."

"They're coming this way," Chin mused. "She really wants to see us?"

"Well, yeah. In her mind, she's done nothing wrong," Kono said. "I'm sure she expected just to pick up where they left off." She looked at Callie. "We like you so much better."

Callie laughed. "Thanks, Kono."

"Hey, guys," Catherine said, walking up to the group. Her voice was slightly nervous and her smile a little unsure. "Long time no see, right?"

"Huh," huffed Danny. "Wonder whose fault that is?"

Steve continued to bite the inside of his mouth. The ohana was loyal…and not so quick to forgive those who hurt a friend.

Catherine tried her best to continue smiling. "It's good to see all of you again. Look at you, Charlie," she said, turning to the youngest of the group. "You've grown so much! And Gracie, you're just beautiful."

"Thank you," Grace said. "But it's Grace. Only Uncle Steve calls me Gracie. Everyone knows that. Even Will knows he can't do it." She smiled sweetly. "Have you met Aunt Callie?"

Steve beamed. Grace had only asked him last week if he thought Callie would be okay being addressed as 'Aunt Callie' or if she just needed to leave that alone. Even though Steve had told Callie about the conversation, the teen hadn't yet used the affectionate name until now. Grace moved to stand beside Callie.

"No, I haven't," Catherine said quietly.

Callie smiled sincerely. "Hi. I'm Callie Ryan. Catherine, right? It's nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand and Catherine took it numbly, taking time to notice the diamond on the other hand.

Just then, Jack whistled and motioned that they were needed at the reception.

"I'm sorry," Callie said apologetically. "I hate we didn't get time to talk. I hope you enjoy your time here, and I hope you have a good trip back to…wherever it is you go next. It was good to meet you. It's nice to put a face with a name, you know?"

"Sure," Catherine mumbled. "Likewise."

Catherine watched Steve bend down and lightly kiss Callie's cheek before putting her hand through his left arm. She smiled up at him, and the look between them was just…perfect. It was the kind of love you dreamed about when you were a little girl, and he most certainly fit the role of Prince Charming.

The group walked towards the reception hall, while Danny lagged behind. He'd been watching her, and knew she'd seen the exchange between Steve and Callie.

"She seems nice," Catherine said quietly.

"Callie? She's fantastic. They really are perfect for each other. He's happy, Cath. Really happy."

"That's good. He deserves it."

"You thought he'd always wait. And he did, for a long time. Too long, in my opinion. I'm not sure what you're doing here, or what you were hoping to accomplish, but you need to go. You being here isn't good for anyone involved." He turned to walk away. "Bye, Catherine."

"Bye, Danny. You take care of him."

Danny tossed a carefree grin over his shoulder. "I always do."


	10. Chapter 10

Mary McGarrett watched her brother with a sense of pride and…what was that? Awe? Wonder? She didn't know exactly how to describe it. She admired the way he was able to work a room, how his presence demanded attention. He moved in a way that was self-assured, cocky even. People were drawn to him. That's the way he always had been, even when they were children.

She smiled at him from across the room and he winked at her, smiling back, as he continued his conversation with yet another man in uniform. She was thankful for her relationship with him, and thankful Joanie would grow up knowing her uncle. For a while there, honestly, she wasn't sure if she'd ever see him again. Her dad's choice to send them to the mainland had been detrimental to the once close relationship they'd had growing up. Between their mother's (staged) death and that, they were kind of destined to grow apart. Where Steve used the experiences to be more perfect than he already was, she…didn't. He excelled in everything he did, hoping, at least in Mary's opinion, that it would make their dad proud enough to be a little more involved. Maybe even show up for a family weekend sometime. Mary knew he never did though, just like she knew she and Aunt Deb were only able to go to one family weekend in all those years. At the time, she didn't realize what those weekends must have felt like to her brother, but now she knew and it broke her heart. She knew her dad had done what he thought was best at the time, but, man, he'd messed their family up. Not that their mom faking her own death helped any. She sighed. They'd gone through some rough patches, and she'd had to call him to get her out of trouble more than once, but he'd never let her down. He had always helped, always done exactly what he said he would, always been there for her. She was the one who could be flakey, but she'd been better about that, she thought, since she'd adopted Joanie. He was a very independent person, and it wasn't like he ever needed her help, but she was trying to be a person he knew he could count on. She _wanted_ to be that person for him. And, sure, they argued. She was a free spirit and he was very much in control. He was stubborn and didn't mind telling her exactly what she should or should not be doing, and she'd called him self-righteous on more than one occasion. But if there was one thing they had learned during their lifetime, it was loyalty. She could say whatever she wanted to about him, but the minute someone else criticized him, she would spring to his defense. He had reacted to her adopting Joanie the way she thought he would, but he'd calmed down and eventually even told her she was doing a good job. Her brother's approval and praise meant the world to her, and he was a great uncle. Sometimes she wished she lived in Hawaii so she and Joanie could be closer to him. Maybe one day.

She watched Callie loop her arm through his and smile up at him. Mary liked her—a lot. She was funny and real, and she kept her brother in line. She was floored when Steve called her to say he had proposed, but she was so thrilled for him. After everything he'd been through, all the times he'd put everyone else before himself, and all the good he'd done, he deserved all the happiness in the world.

* * *

"Hey," Steve said, finally making it to the table where the others were. He flopped into the seat at his placecard, sighing and smiling.

"Hey," Danny said, looking up and grinning. "We were just wondering if we'd ever see you again."

"Looked doubtful there for a while, didn't it?"

"Apparently you have lots of people who want to talk to you."

Steve made a face, and the group laughed. They knew how he felt about small talk at these types of events. The large table was filled with a mix of Five-0 and SEALs. The table to the left held Mary and Joanie, Callie's parents, Chin and his family, and Kono and Adam. At the table to his right sat Akrim and his family, Jack and Sally, and a few more SEALs.

From his spot at the table, he leaned and spoke to Akrim. He'd been able to talk with him briefly after the ceremony. The friends and family who knew Steve only from Hawaii looked up in surprise as he spoke in fluent Arabic to Akrim's family.

"That's cool," Will said aloud.

"It is," Jay agreed. "He's good at languages, and good at picking up the dialect of whatever part of the country he's in. That's part of the reason he was so good at working the other side."

"What does that mean?"

"Uh…" Jay realized he'd probably said too much. "It's just a type of mission. Classified." He shrugged, hoping Will would buy his classified comment and let it rest.

Thankfully, he did just that and moved on to languages. "So you said he was good at languages. How many does he speak?"

"Fluently? Six. He can hold his own in several others though, and knows enough to get by in a good many."

"Wow. I didn't know that."

"Yeah. I don't know how he keeps them separate."

"What languages does he speak?"

"Ah, let's see…" Jay thought, "Arabic, obviously, Pashto, Mandarian, Korean, Japanese, Italian, some Chinese, I think…Russian…there's a lot. Some he learned for missions, but a lot was from Naval Intelligence."

"Cool," Will said, gaining even more respect for his dad's boss and friend.

* * *

The reception was a long affair. Lunch was served in courses and there were several speeches. The SEALs had been right—even at lunch, alcohol was flowing freely. Day drinking was apparently not a problem for the Navy. As lunch was beginning to wind down, a jazz band started playing.

"Would you like to dance?" Steve asked Callie.

"I'll never say no to that," she said with a smile.

He was easy to dance with, a natural, and led effortlessly. As they spun around the dance floor, Callie felt like it was the first time she'd had him to herself all day. Taking advantage of the brief respite from people, she breathed him in deeply and sighed.

"Are you sniffing me, Dr. Ryan?" he asked, a smile in his voice.

"I am," she said, eyes closed. "You always smell so good."

He laughed softly.

"Today has been good," she said. She touched the new medal on his uniform. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," he murmured softly. "And it has been good. Better than I expected." He sighed heavily. "I'm over it though. I wish there wasn't anything else after this."

"It's a small thing, though, right?"

"Yeah, but it's still dress attire. I'd be much happier just skipping it. I don't mind hanging out with the group—I've barely had a chance to speak to them today—but I'd much rather do it at home than the Hilton, you know?"

Callie shrugged. "Then skip it."

Steve snorted. "Yeah? Just like that?"

"Sure."

Steve thought for a minute. "I wonder how many people I'd piss off?"

"Since when have you cared about that?"

Steve made a face at her and she laughed, then lowered her voice as she stood on her tiptoes to reach his ear. "Not to mention, I'd like some time with you too, Commander. And I don't really care who you piss off as long as I get what I want."

She heard his breath catch. "Ah, hell, Cal…"

* * *

"Jack, who's on the list for tonight?" Steve asked as they returned to the table several songs later.

"I knew it!" Jack said, grinning. "Pay up, boys!"

Steve looked at him quizzically before Scott volunteered the information. "There's been a running bet as to when you'd bow out. This was Jack's hour."

Steve rolled his eyes as the members of Five-0 laughed. "How many times have y'all bet on me?" he grumbled at his former team.

"More than you want to know, probably," Scott replied, grinning. "It's a fun game. You're so predictable, yet you're not. Makes things interesting."

Jack shook his head. "We all knew you didn't want this in the first place, but you've been a good sport. We knew it would have to end sometime though." He smiled at Steve and patted him on the back. "I've already made arrangements, son. Really, the only people on the list were your people, plus the governor and a few of the higher ups from Pearl, so it wasn't too hard to make the changes and everyone understood. Or at least they told the SecNav they understood," he laughed. "The catering will be the same, but it will be at your house. The Navy's handling tables, chairs, serving, clean up, all that…only thing that's really changed is the location and a modified guest list. Is that okay?"

To the amusement of the group, Steve's relief was obvious. "Are you kidding? It's perfect."

Jack looked at the group, still smiling. "We thought you'd say that."


	11. Chapter 11

"So," Steve said as he danced with Grace. "Aunt Callie, huh?" He grinned at his niece in amusement.

Grace ducked her head, blushing. "Yeah…you heard that?"

"Yep."

"Do you think she minded?" Grace asked shyly.

Steve smiled. "No, Gracie. I told you she wouldn't."

"I know….I just don't want to be weird or anything." Grace shrugged. "She's important to you. I want her to like me, you know?"

"And she does," Steve assured her. "And—don't you forget— _you're_ important to me, too. I think it meant a lot to her."

"You do?"

Steve nodded confidently. "I do. It may have had a little something to do with the timing of it all, too, which was a little…interesting." He smiled.

"I just wanted Catherine to go away. She was part of our ohana, but she made the choice to leave, you know? It hurt my feelings when she just up and left without even saying bye or anything." She paused, thinking. "And I know she hurt you," she added quietly. "I don't like that."

"Ah, sweet girl," Steve planted a kiss on the top of her head. "It all worked out for the best."

"I know." They fell silent, both lost in thought.

"Today has been fun," she said after a minute of quiet.

"Really? You haven't been bored?"

"Are you kidding?" Grace asked incredulously. "No! This has been awesome! Will has had a great time too. I think he's kind of starstruck or something."

Steve snorted.

"It's true! You're used to all this, all the uniforms and procedures and stuff, but for us normal people it's really cool to watch. I think he may be interested in the military after high school."

"Oh really?" Steve was surprised and wondered if Lou knew.

Grace nodded. "Maybe. He has been talking to some of your friends about it."

"Probably _not_ who he needs to be talking to."

Grace laughed.

"It's a big decision, and one that people have different feelings about depending on their experience. The people in this room have made careers of it and love it. _I_ loved it. Still do. That's why I transferred to the Reserves instead of retiring when I came back to Hawaii. But there are plenty of people who enlist and then hate it." He shrugged. "Just depends on a lot of things. He needs to look into everything carefully and really think about it before he makes a decision."

"I know. He's just barely started thinking about all that anyway."

Steve nodded. "There's plenty of time."

"Yeah. I don't even know what I want to do yet at all."

Steve shook his head. "Ugh. Gracie. I don't even want to talk about it. I thought you promised me you'd never grow up?"

Gracie grinned. "I think I was eight when I said that, Uncle Steve."

"Still counts," he teased.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I'll always be your best girl though, right? Your Gracie? No matter how old I get?"

He twirled her around, smiling at her giggles. "Always."

* * *

Danny smiled as he watched his daughter dance with his partner.

"He'd be a really good dad, you know," he said to Callie, nudging her.

"He would," Callie said, lost in thoughts of the future. "He really would."

* * *

"This has been the coolest day," Jerry said to the table. Steve was talking to the last few people he needed to before leaving the reception. Five-0 and the SEALs were hanging out, waiting on him, not willing to leave until he did. "I mean, just really awesome, right?" He grinned. "So cool."

"Ignore him," Tani said to Steve's former teammates. She rolled her eyes. "He has, like, this weird hero-worship, man crush thing for the boss."

The men laughed, and Jerry turned red, a little embarrassed but not denying it. He thought Steve was great. What was so wrong with that?

"Don't worry about it, man," Greg said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I get it."

Jerry was glad someone did. Lou called him a kiss ass and Danny just made fun of him mercilessly, and so did Tani. He thought Junior probably had a similar mindset as his because they made fun of him too, but he was pretty sure Junior didn't care either. Steve was like the cool kid in high school you always wanted to be friends with—the star football player, the popular kid—but what made it so awesome was that Steve was so nice. Jerry knew himself well enough to know he wasn't exactly the most normal person. He had some crazy ideas from time to time, and maybe his conspiracy theories could get a little out of hand. Not to mention that he wasn't exactly what one would consider traditionally attractive. But Steve had never been anything but kind to him, and that meant a lot.

Jerry shrugged. "Whatever," he said to Tani. "Today was great."

"I agree, Jer," Junior said, nodding as he came to Jerry's rescue.

* * *

Steve sauntered over, looking tired.

"We're going to head back to the hotel for a bit, brah," Chin said, shaking his hand. "What time's dinner?"

Steve rubbed at his forehead and looked at Jack. "Six?"

"Yes, but now that we've changed the plan some, we don't have to be on a tight schedule," Jack replied. "They'll go along with whatever you want to do." He looked at Steve pointedly. "At some point, you need to sleep some and get rid of that headache you're going to tell me you don't have."

Steve huffed, then looked back at Chin. "Six...or whenever. I don't know."

Chin laughed. "Okay, brah. We'll see you."

Kono and Adam followed Chin and his family, as well as Mary and Callie's parents. Slowly the crowd dwindled and this part of the celebration came to a close.

* * *

Removing his cover and dropping into the car provided by the Navy, Steve sighed as he leaned back and sprawled out. His head rested against the back of the seat.

"Tired?" Callie asked.

"Mmhm," Steve mumbled.

"Me too. It has been a long day," she replied, gently rubbing her fingers through his hair. "Headache?"

"Mm," he agreed, eyes closed and leaning into her touch. "Keep doing that," he said, so soft she barely heard him.

"Seven insurgents, Commander," Callie teased quietly. "You can take care of seven insurgents, but the minute I put my fingers in your hair, you're putty in my hands."

She waited for a response. When she didn't get one, she looked down and smiled at what she saw.

Tough though he was, Steve was already fast asleep against his fiancée's shoulder.


	12. Chapter 12

"Where the _fuck_ did that cat come from?"

It was a little after six and Five-0 and their families had just arrived at the McGarrett residence for dinner. As they walked around the house and into the backyard, they heard voices heatedly discussing something.

"Oh, this already sounds like it's going to be a fun night," Danny grinned, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. His partner normally kept a tight reign on his sailor's mouth, but give him pain medication or a good bit of alcohol and it returned with a vengeance. "Good thing we left Charlie with Rachel." He paused as he walked up to Steve, who was lying in the hammock. "Hey, babe."

"Hey," Steve said distractedly, looking at the group before turning his attention back to Jay, who was holding a small gray kitten. He sat up quickly, causing the hammock to pitch. Steve clutched at the sides, closing his eyes against the vertigo the movement caused. "Whoa. Shit." He stopped for a minute, then opened his eyes and focused on Jay again. "I'm fuckin' serious—where'd it come from?"

"I'm fuckin' serious, too, McGarrett," Scott volunteered from across the lanai. "You keep moving like that and you're gonna flip yourself right out of that hammock. And I am not picking your drunk, heavy ass up off the ground."

"You'd leave me on the ground?"

"On the ground."

"No help?"

"Not a bit."

"You're lyin'."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. You'd best not find out."

"Hmmph." Steve turned back to Jay. "Cat."

"Neighborhood. When I was running."

" _You stole somebody's fuckin' cat?!"_

"Sweet Lord in Heaven," Aaron commented.

"Damn kleptomaniac," Scott said.

"Dumb ass. You don't just take kittens," Greg chimed in.

"No! I didn't steal anyone's cat! Do y'all not think I have more sense than that? Never mind—don't answer that! It was a _stray_. Wandering around. Meowing, all pitiful-like. He likes milk. He needs a family. He needs you, McGarrett." He held the small kitten up in the air right in front of him. "Isn't he cute?" The cat bared his teeth and hissed at Steve.

"Yeah, buddy," Steve said to the outraged ball of fur. "I feel the same way about you and this whole situation, too. No, he sure as hell isn't cute and he _is not_ going to find a family here. Take him back wherever you found him and leave him there."

"Take him back to the street?!" Jay did an excellent job of appearing horrified. He leaned down to the cat's ear. "Don't worry about him," he mock-whispered. "We'll work on it. It'll all be okay. He's not really such a hard-ass when you get to know him. You'll like it here. There's a dog, but he's nice. You can be buddies. His name is Beau. What should we name you?"

"It's not staying."

"I don't get why it's such a big deal. You have a dog."

"Yeah. A well-trained, well-behaved dog who doesn't shed and who doesn't sit on the furniture unless he's invited to."

"That's because Beau is _you_ in dog form. Classic overachiever. Also, he chewed my shoe so he's not perfect."

Steve snorted. "See? He's a good judge of character too." Steve waved his hand in a sweeping gesture. "Anyway. Do whatever—street, shelter, I don't care. That cat's not staying here. End of."

"To a shelter? You know they euthanize, right?" Jay asked.

Steve looked him dead in the eye. "Hell of a lot better than what's going to happen to it if it gets left here," he muttered darkly.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Callie rolled her eyes at the whole exchange.

"Hey, guys," she said to the group from Five-0, giving hugs. "Needless to say, drinking continued after we got back here. Your commander has lost his usually firmly-in-place filter, so…I'm going to apologize in advance for him."

Lou laughed. "It's always fun when he's this far gone. It doesn't happen often. Your boy there can drink the rest of us under the table without even feeling it."

"It's a talent finely honed through years of service in the US Navy," Steve spoke up.

"You're the only person I know who can be drunk and still use words I have to look up in the dictionary," Jay said.

Steve's attention turned to Jay. "Shut up. Get rid of the cat."

Callie sighed. "And we're back to the cat."

* * *

"McGarrett!" Wade Gutches yelled as he walked around the house and into the backyard. "Did we make it in time for dinner?"

Steve grinned at the familiar voice and stood up to greet Wade and the rest of SEAL Team 9. The bearded men in uniform walked into a warm welcome from the SEALs already gathered there.

"We tried to make it to the ceremony this morning, but couldn't get out in time," Wade explained. "I hate we missed it."

"Ah, no worries, man," Steve replied. "It's good to see you. Everybody good?"

Wade nodded and grinned. "All back in one piece. I'd say it was a successful trip, right, boys?"

The rest of Team 9 nodded. "We came straight here from Pearl. We're a little scruffy, so we apologize, but we wanted to get here in time."

Callie waved away his apology. "Oh, hush. We're glad you're here. And we're so glad you're back." She hugged each of the men tightly. They had the team over for dinner the night before they left on their latest mission, and it had been an emotional experience for her. She had prayed for their safety daily and was grateful they were back home.

The group sat down to eat dinner, Five-0 and SEALs mixing and mingling. The people were very different and came from very different backgrounds but had one thing in common—unfailing love and loyalty to a certain commander.

* * *

"So," Callie said during dinner. "I have a surprise."

Steve raised his eyebrows and the rest looked on in interest.

"The governor called earlier when you guys were swimming. She said she only got to talk to you for a few minutes this morning, so she didn't get to tell you—she's putting Five-0 on stand down this week. Everything's going to HPD unless something major happens. She said she knew Jack and Sally would be here this week, as well as the rest of the guys, and she wanted you to take the week off," Callie smiled. "But she knew you wouldn't do it if your team was still working, so her solution was to give everyone the week off."

"Oh wow!" Renee exclaimed. "That's really nice."

"That it is," Lou confirmed. He looked at Steve. "You wanna see if we can get a morning tee time?"

"Tomorrow?" Steve asked incredulously. Lou nodded. "Hell no."

"One day this week, then?"

"Maybe."

"Okay, before everyone starts making plans, I've already got Monday taken care of for all of you," Callie said. She tried not to look too proud of herself, but was having a hard time containing her excitement.

"And what might that be, Dr. Callie?" Jay asked.

She felt like her face might break from grinning so hard. "There's a new place I've heard about. It's in the mountains. It's all outdoors…I think it's on five acres? There's a river and a waterfall. You split your group into two teams… _and play a very intense game of amped up laser tag."_

There was silence from the group before they erupted into excited chatter.

Steve gave her a kiss. "That's awesome, babe. Thank you."

"You," Wade said, "are the most amazing girl I've ever met. You are a pearl among women, Cal."

"Laser tag with SEALs? That's gonna be epic. Do you think we can go too?" Will asked Lou and Renee.

"Oh I don't know," Renee said quietly. "I don't know how many people Callie made the reservation for, or who she was planning on…"

Callie happened to overhear the conversation. "Oh! Yes, Will, absolutely! There is no reservation, and anyone who wants to can go." Her eyes danced. "I rented the facility for the day."

"Oh wow! That's even more awesome," Tani said. "That way you don't have to be around anyone you don't know."

"Yeah," Junior agreed. "That was an awesome idea. You need to tell us how much we owe you though. I'm sure everyone would pitch in to help cover the cost. I can't imagine how expensive that must have been."

"Nope," Callie waved him off. The others began to protest. "No. I'm serious, guys. I'm not taking your money. This one's on me."

The men looked to Steve for direction, not knowing what to do. He shrugged. "I'd just give up, if I were you. She's stubborn and bossy. You're not gonna win."

Scott chuckled. "You speaking from experience, McGarrett?"

Steve tossed back the rest of his drink before winking at Callie. "Damn right I am."

* * *

The drinks continued to flow as the night wore on. The Navy servers had been hand picked for this job, and for good reason. The event was open bar, there were officers involved, and SEALs as well as the Secretary of the Navy. This was definitely an A-list group, and the servers had been picked based on their ability to keep quiet about whatever they saw and/or heard.

The stories being told were hilarious, and laughter lasted well into the night.

At some point, the kitten disappeared, much to Jay's distress. He looked all over for it with the help of Danny and Aaron, who were sympathetic supporters of Operation Save the Kitten, but it was nowhere to be found.


	13. Chapter 13

With the exception of Steve, everyone was awake and moving by eleven the next morning. Jack and Sally were in the kitchen cooking breakfast when Callie came bounding down the stairs.

"Where's Jay?" she asked.

"On the lanai," Scott answered. "What's wrong?"

She held up her phone. "I'm pretty sure his hours are numbered." She headed toward the lanai. The rest of the SEALs shared a look, then scrambled to follow her.

"He's going to kill you," Callie was saying. "You went a step too far. You know how he is about stuff like that."

"I swear I didn't do it, Callie!" Jay insisted. "I looked all over for the kitten but couldn't find it anywhere. I guess it snuck in when the door was open at some point last night."

"And it just happened to find it's way to _his bed? The one person who can't even stand the thought of it being in the house at all?_ Are you freakin' _kidding me_?" Callie was furiously ranting in a whisper as she waved the phone in his face.

"Wait, what?" Danny asked, grabbing the phone. There, in living color, was a picture of a sound asleep Steve McGarrett…with a gray kitten curled against his side. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah," Callie agreed. "I tried to pick it up, but it hissed. I was afraid it was going to bite me. So, you—" she pointed at Jay, " _fix this_. Because you know as well as I do, he's going to lose his mind if he wakes up and that kitten is in bed with him."

Jay grimaced. It had been fun teasing Steve about keeping the kitten last night, especially given how much Steve had had to drink, but everyone knew he wasn't really serious. And—regardless of what it looked like—he had _nothing_ to do with the kitten's appearance in McGarrett's bed. He was much, much smarter than that because, truthfully, Jay was still a little scared of his former commanding officer.

"I just want to know when it got in," Scott said.

"And where it has been all night," Callie added. "It wasn't in bed with us. I woke up around eight. I didn't want to wake him, so I read a book on the balcony for a while. When I went back in, that little thing was in my spot. The door was shut all night, though, so I guess it had to be hiding in the bedroom or bathroom somewhere. I don't know." She looked pointedly at Jay. "I _do_ know that there is no way this is going to go well for you."

Jay winced and put his hands to his face. "How do I get myself into these messes?"

"And to think," Sally said. "I had just told Jack that we made it through the whole day with all of you, there was alcohol involved, and there hadn't been a single drop of blood spilled." She sighed. "I guess I spoke too soon."

* * *

After a delicious breakfast, where Jay was teased mercilessly about the very real possibility of it being his last meal, the group watched as Jay headed slowly up the stairs.

"Leave no man behind," he muttered to the group. "Y'all are something else, you know that? Not one of you willing to help me."

Aaron shrugged. "You're the one who brought the kitten here. This is all you, man. All you."

"If it makes you feel better, though, just remember we're all highly trained in field medicine," Greg joked. "So the likelihood of you dying is pretty slim. Maimed and mangled, yes. Dead, no." He grinned.

Lou, Jerry, and Tani walked in just then, curiosity immediately piqued by the last comment. "Good morning, group," Lou said. "What's going on?"

"Remember the kitten from last night that went missing?" Junior asked. "Well, after Callie got up this morning, it decided to take her place in bed…with Commander McGarrett."

"Who's still sleeping," Scott offered, "and will most likely be either really hungover or at the very least a headachy grouch when he wakes up. Neither of which will go over well for our boy Jay there."

Jay huffed. "Glad y'all think this is so hilarious. Happy to be your entertainment for this morning." He gave a mock salute and continued up the stairs.

* * *

A few minutes later, the group heard a loud yowl followed by hissing and screeching, and then a hoarse, sleepy voice yelling, "What the hell?"

Jay cursed. He'd tried to snatch the sleeping kitten, only to be attacked by the crazy feline. There was a good bit of muffled yelling and crashing around. A streak of gray came flying downstairs, with Jay close behind, arms scratched and dripping blood.

"Grab that cat!" he yelled to the group.

"We need to help him," Scott said to the rest of the SEALs.

"Ah, hell," Greg muttered. "Do we have to?"

"Brothers in arms and all that," Scott sighed, heaving himself to a standing position. "Let's get the damn kitten."

* * *

Steve appeared on the landing, wearing low-slung jogging pants and pulling a t-shirt over his head. He yawned and ran a hand through his sleep mussed hair, then padded down the stairs. Peering out onto the lanai where the SEALs were still trying to catch the kitten, he shook his head and then settled himself onto the floor between Callie's feet, leaning his head against her knee and closing his eyes.

The people gathered in the living room smiled. "Good morning," Callie said to him.

"Is it?" he mumbled. "Woke up without you, there was a cat in my bed, and Jay was yelling. Nightmare or am I still that drunk?"

Callie laughed. "Neither. That's real life this morning, babe."

"Oh." He blinked in confusion. "Think I should go back to bed. This…is too much."

Just then the kitten ran through the living room, screeching to a halt when he saw Steve sitting on the floor. He scampered over to Steve, clumsily crawling onto his lap.

When the SEALs followed, the kitten was sitting there, looking at them very much like the cat that ate the canary.

"Where—" Jay stopped, eyes widening as he saw where the cat was sitting.

Steve lifted the cat up to Jay. "Looking for this?"

Jay did his best to seem unfazed by the situation and gave a quiet huff. "Yes." He took the growling cat from Steve.

"You going to find it a home now? Somewhere that's not here?"

"Yes."

"Good. While you're out, you should probably get a tetanus shot."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"That went much better than what I thought it would," Danny whispered to Scott later on.

Scott nodded in agreement. "I think he was still asleep. That was definitely in Jay's favor."

Danny laughed. "I'll have to remember that for later on."

* * *

Compared to the morning, the rest of the day was uneventful. Callie invited the entire ohana over for dinner so teams could be formed and plans could be made for the next morning. As they were finishing up, she pulled out two clipboards.

"We need to divide up into teams for tomorrow. Steve, I'm putting you in charge of team one; Scott, you're in charge of team two." Both men nodded.

"Alright, boys," she said. "Start picking. I'll write."

It took a while, and there were multiple arguments, but finally they had two lists they were sure were as equal as possible.

"Nope!" Steve said, snatching the Longboard from Danny's hands. "You've had enough."

"What are you talking about?" Danny said, grabbing for the beer while Steve pulled it further away. "That's only my third one."

"Yeah, and you're on my team tomorrow morning. And I'm not going to lose. So no one on my team is doing any more drinking tonight."

"If he's not drinking, then we aren't either," Scott announced. "This is serious, folks."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Good grief."

"Oh, honey," Sally said, patting her knee. "Do you not know that these men are, by nature and career, some of the most competitive men on the planet? I'm sure you've seen how competitive he is on his own, with normal people. That's how they all are. With other SEALs though? Heaven help us."


	14. Chapter 14

"All I'm saying is that everything with you is a competition," Danny told Steve as they walked to the truck the next morning. "It doesn't matter if it's golf or football or putt-putt or freakin' Scrabble, you think you have to win. Have you never heard of doing something just for fun? I mean, can we not just have a fun day without having to keep score?"

Steve looked at him incredulously. "No. Why would you want to do that? What would be the point in even playing?"

"The point, _Steven,_ would be to have fun."

"Winning is fun."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm sure you're a gracious loser too."

"What're you talking about, Danno?" Steve asked, smirking at him. "I don't lose."

"Insufferable SEAL," Danny muttered, climbing into the truck as his partner laughed.

* * *

"Okay, everyone," Callie said, clapping her hands together. "This is John. John is our attendant for the day. He's going to explain everything, then we'll get started."

"Hey, guys," the older man said to the group, smiling. "I've been looking forward to this since Callie booked it."

John quickly went over how everything was going to work. Each person was outfitted with a vest with a sensor, a laser gun, and a headset. The group had the option of communicating only with their team or with the whole group, and they decided being able to hear everyone would be more fun. The group headed out, each individual moving to a spot where they wanted to begin the game. The majority of the group had worn camo, with the remaining members choosing dark colored clothing, and they blended in well with the forest. After about five minutes, John came over the link and called for the game to start.

Not two minutes later, a buzz signified that one member had already gone down. Jay's laughter could be heard over the link.

"Got you, Cal!"

"Aw, that stinks," came Callie's voice.

There was a pause before Steve responded. "Well, that's….disappointing."

Callie giggled in embarrassment. "Yeah…guess I haven't picked up any skills from you, huh?"

* * *

The game continued for a long time, with everyone except for the SEALs being slowly eliminated. "They're good at this," Will commented, when it was finally down to just Steve and Jay.

"I'm pretty sure it's their job," Grace replied, laughing. "We may be here all day."

"Not all day, Gracie," Steve replied over the link. "Jay just made a mistake."

"Ah, crap," Jay said in disgust. "Where are you, McGarrett?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh, stop playing with me and just shoot me already."

"I've waited years for you to say that, Jaybird."

"Ha. Ha. So hilarious."

"Oh, don't make that face. It's not a good look for you."

"Is there any hope of me getting away?"

"Nope."

"What if I ran?"

"Nuh-uh."

"If I ran really fast?"

"I'll get you before you take a step."

"I still don't see you."

"Isn't that the point?"

"You suck, McGarrett."

"Nah."

"Well, not when we're on the same team. But opposite teams? Yes, you definitely suck."

"Boys, are y'all going to finish anytime soon? The rest of us are getting hungry," Jack grinned at the others.

"Sure thing," Steve replied. "Hey, Jaybird?"

"Yeah?"

"Gotcha."

The buzzer on Jay's vest sounded.

* * *

"That was a lot of fun," Will said as the group ate pizza for lunch on Steve's lanai. "Thank you, Callie."

Callie smiled. "You're welcome."

"So when did y'all learn how to do all that stuff?" he asked Steve's team.

"BUD/s, then a lot of, uh, _on the job training_ ," Greg laughed. "Some stuff you have to be trained and qualify for, like rifleman and parachutist. Your boy there," he nodded his head to Steve, "is one of the best snipers I've ever seen. I've seen him drop a, um, _target_ from 2,000 yards."

"Wow," Will said. "That's cool. I never knew all this stuff about him."

"He is a pretty cool guy," Greg winked. "Just don't ever tell him I said that."

Will laughed. "They're talking to us about careers and stuff at school. I know I don't want to be a SEAL—no offense, but you guys are crazy—but I think I might like the Navy. The parachuting stuff seems cool."

"It is. You'll have to go with Steve sometime when he jumps. It's cool to watch; it's even better to do it. I'd say to ask him if you could do a tandem jump sometime, but he hates those."

"That's when you're strapped to someone who's already certified, right?" Will asked.

"Yeah." Greg grinned. "You want to see Steve just about come out of his skin, ask him to do one of those."

Scott, listening to the conversation, chuckled. "No, McGarrett can't stand it. When you're ready, though, one of us would be happy to jump with you." Greg nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. I think it'll be a while though." Will grinned.

"Nothing wrong with that," Scott told him, bumping his shoulder.

"I'd like to go watch sometime. That sounds cool," Will told the SEALs.

"Go watch what?" Steve asked, catching the last part of the conversation from the other end of the long table.

"Jumps," Scott told him. "We told Will you could probably arrange that."

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Steve nodded.

"You have to log some hours soon anyway. That'd be a good chance to take young Grover there along," Jack said.

Every SEAL on the lanai looked up and at Jack at the same time.

"You keeping check on my file, Jack?" Steve asked, eyebrows raised.

"I just took a look at it before we came out here," Jack replied, looking Steve directly in the eyes. "You already scheduled your jumps for recert?"

Steve nodded, taking a pull of the beer in front of him, eyes giving away nothing. "End of next month."

The members of Five-0 were trying to follow the conversation that seemed to be happening silently around them.

"With your time off this week, and all the boys here, it may be a good time for you to lead a jump and get those hours in," Jack said. "There are a couple more of you who need to recertify soon too. Good time to practice jumping with your CO."

Steve and Jack were still holding eye contact, the rest of the people on the lanai looking at each other, waiting to be clued in on what was going on.

Steve took another swig of beer.

"You're reactivating me."


	15. Chapter 15

The lanai was quiet. Jack's eyes still hadn't left Steve's.

"I would like to, and if you were anyone else I'd order you to without giving it a second thought. But our friendship makes things a little different, and I'd rather you have some say in it. I received some intel last week that you'll be interested in. A certain target who disappeared eight years ago has recently made some moves and appears to be resurfacing."

Steve raised his eyebrows, knowing immediately who Jack was talking about.

"If you agree," he stopped and looked at the group of SEALs, then turned back to Steve, "the op is yours. You'll be the commanding officer. You can build your own team—reserves, retired, active, I don't care. I'll reactivate anybody necessary. Whoever you trust. You'll have my full support, the full support of the Navy, funding, whatever you need." Jack paused. "I'm not going to lie—I really want you on this, Steve, and there are a lot of others who do as well. You spent a lot of time with Naval Intelligence tracking him, and you know more about him than anyone else."

"How long?" Steve asked.

Jack gave a small shrug. "As long as it takes you. The intel's pretty good, but I know you'll want to do your own and I know you'll want to put the team you put together through drills. You'll have plenty of time to do both before you go."

Steve nodded, thinking. He glanced at Danny and Lou. "I would want Five-0 to gather intel and run the op from here. I don't know many in Naval Intelligence anymore, and I don't want someone I'm not comfortable with feeding me intel when we're downrange. Not with who we're dealing with and how far his reach goes."

"Given the situation, I think that's reasonable," Jack replied, nodding. "I can get them clearance."

"What do you think, Danno?" Steve asked.

Danny had been watching the conversation between the two men, bouncing his head back and forth as if he were watching a ping pong match. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. When Five-0 first started, he worried about Steve being deployed constantly, but the thought hadn't crossed his mind lately. He knew the mission would be classified, knew he would have no contact with his partner, and knew that until Steve was back in Hawaii the knot that had already formed in his stomach wouldn't go away. When Steve mentioned Five-0 running the op, the knot loosened a bit. If he couldn't be there with Steve, at least he could help him in this way.

"I think it's good," Danny replied, looking at Lou and Jerry, who nodded in affirmation. "We can do that."

Steve looked at the other men at the table, making eye contact with each one. "I'm not half-assing this. We haven't worked together in a long time. You know I'll want everything to be perfect, which means we'll run it over and over and over until it is."

Jay rolled his eyes. "Oh, we know, don't we, boys?" The others laughed and Steve grinned, but then Jay got serious. "But it's saved our asses many times. You run us how you want to, Commander. You've got us out of places nobody else could, and it's because of how you trained us. I'll never trust anybody more than you."

The others agreed.

"Thank you," Steve said quietly. "But I haven't ran a mission like this in years, guys. I completely understand if—"

"No," Greg interrupted. "We'd follow you to Hell and back, McGarrett—in fact, I'm pretty sure we have a couple of times. Just because you haven't led a mission like this in a while doesn't change anything. Doesn't change you, or your ability to lead." He shrugged. "I'm all in."

"Me too, Doggy," Eric said, bumping against Steve's shoulder. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You know it," Aaron nodded.

"I'm assuming you'll need a 2IC," Scott said with a sly smile.

"You know anybody?" Steve asked, grinning.

"Might know a guy. If he can put up with your ornery ass."

"It's a job, that's for sure," Danny interjected. The group laughed.

"Alright, then," Jack said, rubbing his hands together. There was an extra sparkle in his eye that wasn't there before. "What do you want to start with first? How soon you think you can have this crew in ship-shape and ready to deploy?"

Steve crossed his arms, frowning and looking down, deep in thought. "Depends. I need to look at your intel, work up a strategy, and go from there. If we're going to infil by air, I want to do HALO jumps tomorrow and make sure everything is tight. I'll let you know by tonight."

"So you've got a team of six. Is that what you want?" Jack asked.

Steve shook his head, frowning again. "No. I want one more operator, and a medic."

"Alright. Who are you thinking?"

He looked at Junior. "Would you be interested?"

Junior looked shocked, in complete disbelief that a man he respected as much as Steve would ask him to go along on not only a mission, but a mission sanctioned by the Sec Nav. He sat up straighter in his chair. "Sir, it would be an honor."

"Ah, hell," Eric said, making a face and poking at Steve's ribs, unable to stop himself from grinning. "We're gonna have to call him 'sir' again."

* * *

Sally stood, giving her husband a look. She got up from the table and collected the plates of those who were finished eating, then retreated to the kitchen. Callie stood up and followed her, along with Tani and Renee.

Sally shook her head as she started cleaning the kitchen. "I knew it. I knew he wasn't telling me something."

Callie looked at her, waiting patiently for the kind, older lady to say more. Callie had fallen in love with Jack and Sally over the last week. She had known how close Steve was to them, and now she completely understood why. They were wonderful.

"You don't think Steve should go?" Callie asked, prompting her.

"I didn't say that," Sally said quietly, sighing. "It's just…SEALs and SEAL teams are hard to explain. They're trained to be mission-oriented, consequences be damned. To do that, a lot of times you have to compartmentalize things and shut off parts of yourself. Those men out there," she motioned to the lanai, "will be completely different by the time they deploy. Steve has always been good at compartmentalizing. He can tune everything else out and has what Jack describes as a laser-like focus on the task at hand. He has always been able to do what is necessary. But for him, it comes at a price. He's empathetic. He cares. That's only increased since he went into the reserves." Sally shook her head again. "We should be incredibly thankful for our special operators. The hell they go through so we can sleep at night is unreal, and I don't even know a tenth of it. When they come back, they still go through it. You can't do what they do, see what they see, and not be affected by it…" She sighed heavily. "I just worry. That's all. I want him to go and be able to do what he needs to do without hesitating, but then I want him to be able to come home and let it go."

"Me too," Callie said softly. "Me too."


	16. Chapter 16

Callie watched as Steve sat on the floor in the living room, chewing on the end of a pen as he read the papers spread before him and making notes in some kind of shorthand only he could read.

"Hey," she said quietly, handing him a cup of coffee and curling up on the couch with her own.

"Hey." He smiled up at her, pushing the papers into a folder and moving to sit on the couch beside her.

"How's it going?"

Steve nodded thoughtfully. "Good. Really good, I think. Jack's got a lot of intel already. "

Callie nodded, leaning against his shoulder. She could already see what Sally had been talking about earlier. There were tiny changes in each man's behavior and they were falling in place as a unit again, already looking to Steve for direction and permission. Steve, meanwhile, had easily assumed the role of commanding officer and team leader. He had been quieter, his intelligent mind already running scenarios for the op. When Jack gave him the folder, he had effectively tuned out everyone and everything around him-the intel and mission ahead had his full attention.

Steve took a sip of the coffee, looked around and frowned in confusion. "It's really quiet."

"Mmhm. Sally made everybody find other things to do for a while. She said our house had been full for a week and we needed some time."

"Oh really?" Steve smiled, leaning toward her and kissing her softly. Somehow he managed to take both cups and place them on the end table before gently pushing her to lie down.

"Mm," he murmured as he climbed on top of her. " _Our_ house. That sounds nice."

"It does, doesn't it?" Callie wrapped her arms around Steve's neck, kissing him.

"Move in," Steve said against her mouth. "Sell the condo."

"I'm here a lot, Steve," Callie said. "And my condo has a pool."

"I want you here all the time," Steve countered. "And here you have the ocean. And me."

"Hmm. Is that so? That's definitely a benefit."

"It is," he kissed her again. "Move in."

"So persistent, Commander," Callie teased.

"You have no idea how persistent I can be, Dr. Ryan." He ran his hands down her body, causing her to shiver. "Move. In. With. Me." Each word was punctuated with a kiss as his hands continued to roam.

"You don't fight fair," she whispered, letting her hands do some exploring of their own.

As things grew more heated, he gave the tiniest groan, which went straight to her lower belly.

"I'll start packing tomorrow."

Sensing his victory, he kissed her harder. "That's my girl."

Feeling him grin against her neck, she marveled at the fact she could never say no to this man…and the fact that she never _wanted_ to say no.

* * *

"This is Felipe Ines," Steve said, pointing at the screen in the Five-0 bullpen. "Colombian drug lord. He turns kids into drug mules, teens into dealers, and is one of the most ruthless men I've ever come across. He's smart and slick, and he has a lot of important people on his payroll or in his pocket…including a lot of police officers and politicians. I've been within feet of having him before, but there were too many civilians where we were, and the risk was just too high." Steve shook his head in disgust. "It was so close. We did manage to bust up the cartel pretty good and cause some financial pain, and we got rid of a lot of drugs. He disappeared after that. There was chatter from time to time over the years, but nothing concrete until now. It seems like he thinks he's waited long enough for the US to forget about him…or it's possible he feels threatened by another drug lord and wants to make sure he holds his territory. Either way, he's back and it's bound to get ugly in a hurry."

"He uses kids for this stuff?" Lou asked.

Steve nodded grimly. "And more. There was a twelve year old who told us he'd been sold to the cartel by his parents in exchange for drugs. He was forced to be part of the cartel's hit team and said he'd been a part of three murders in the last six months." Steve stopped and shook his head. "And we're not talking a hit with guns, guys. The cartel is known for its brutality. The things they made this kid do…it'll make you sick."

"And he wasn't the only one," Scott added. "We came across dozens of kids, mostly boys, who had been either sold to the cartel or kidnapped or joined because they had no choice."

"That's why this is so important to us," Greg added. "You can't forget seeing things like that."

"I can't imagine," Danny said. "Well, let's get this guy. What can we do to help?"

"You're going to be feeding us intel," Steve said, "from here. You'll use the Navy's satellites and drones to tell us where things are located, if there's any movement, make sure we have an exit strategy, find a new one if something goes wrong. That kind of thing."

Jack nodded. "As soon as the cartel knows the boys are there, they're on borrowed time. They'll only have minutes to perform the extraction. That's the most critical part of the mission, the time when they're the most vulnerable. It is _extremely_ important that there's no identifiable information used during this mission at any time, but especially at that point. Nicknames only. Balaclavas will be worn the whole time," Jack stopped and looked at Steve. "I need to know what kind you want…and a list of everything else you might need. I'll get the list to Pearl and they'll take care of it."

"We gonna wear the skulls, Commander?" Jay asked, grinning.

"Esqueletos negros," Aaron said. "Black skeletons."

"Or the ghost balaclavas?" Greg suggested. "Those are nice too. Either way, we'll scare the piss out of them."

"I'm pretty sure the seven of you could do that wearing tutus," Lou joked as he looked around the room at the formidable SEALs.

"Where will you stay? You're not going straight from here to Colombia, right?" Tani asked.

"When we leave Pearl, we'll go to a carrier off the coast of South America," Steve answered. "From there, we'll rendezvous with another team and then move into Ecuador. I have some friends there—old team guys-who have arranged a boat to take us out to sea, then we'll infil here." He pointed at a spot on the map along the coast.

"Won't they hear the boat coming?"

Steve grinned. "What're you talking about, Danno? There won't be a boat."

* * *

"I'll be damned," Danny muttered, watching the seven dark figures emerging from the ocean in the cover of darkness later that night. "I thought that was one of those things people made up."

"I am learning," Lou said, staring at the same sight, "that Steve McGarrett is capable of even more than we give him credit for."

"Yeah," Danny said. "Yeah, he is."

* * *

"How are you feeling about the team?" Jack asked Steve as they relaxed on the lanai with a beer.

"We're running like a well-oiled machine," Steve said, grinning. "Feel good about it."

"Good. You found a medic yet?"

Steve nodded. "Jacks from Nine will be here tomorrow. He'll fall right in. No worries there."

"You feel good about the mission?"

"Exfil's going to be tight. We'll be severely outnumbered, but at least we know that going in." Steve rubbed at his chin, then smoothed both palms down his face. "We're going to have to do a lot of damage, Jack. It's not going to be pretty."

"I know," Jack spoke quietly. "You okay with that? I know it's a different mindset than Five-0."

"It is, but, yeah, I'm good. Ines can't continue this. The cartel has wrecked so many lives there…"

"Steve, we want you to bring him in alive if possible, but if you see that it's not going to happen, you take the shot. Kill the son of a bitch and don't think twice about it."

"Yes, sir."


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you so much for all the kind reviews! I have been absolutely floored by the response!**

* * *

Callie sat on the bed as she watched Steve pack his bag. Beau, sensing something was going on, wasn't letting Steve out of his sight.

"I think he's going to miss you as much as I am," Callie smiled.

"You'll have to look out for each other," Steve told her, bending to pet Beau's head. "Won't you, boy?"

"It feels strange to still be moving in when you're leaving."

Steve stopped packing and moved to her. He held her close and dropped a tender kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back soon. And, anyway, I think you being here will make Jack and Sally more comfortable. I'm glad he decided to stay at Pearl to oversee the mission, but I thought it was ridiculous for them to check into the Hilton just because I wasn't going to be here. So, thank you." He kissed her gently.

"You have to come back to me," she told him softly.

"I will. Everything's going to be fine, Cal."

She nodded. "I know. I know it's going to be dangerous, though, Steve. You have to promise to be careful. I wouldn't know what to do without you."

"And you're not going to have to find out," he said confidently. "Hey, don't do that." He wiped tears from her face. "It's fine. I'll be back before you know it. And these guys I'm going with, Cal, they're second to none. They've done everything I've asked. We've ran the op in simulation over and over. We've got this, Cal. I wouldn't lead them there if I didn't believe that."

"I know." She wiped at her eyes, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I just…I didn't think it would bother me this much. I mean, your daily job is dangerous and I do okay with that. I don't worry about you, but this scares me." She held onto him tighter. "I won't be like this tomorrow, I promise."

"It's fine if you are, Cal. It's tough for me to leave you too. But I don't want you to worry, okay? Go to work, play with Beau, pack up your condo, go to dinner with Amy, keep busy…and I'll be home before you know it. Okay?"

"I'm going to hold you to that, Commander."

* * *

The last week had passed too quickly for Callie's liking. She needed more time to prepare herself for him leaving. She needed more time to feel his touch and hear his voice. She just needed _more time_.

But there was no more time to be had, and, with a nervous feeling in her stomach, all too soon she found herself watching him dress in his working uniform. Jack and Sally had left earlier, offering to give Junior a ride to the base and giving Steve and Callie a bit of time alone.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked her.

She nodded. "I will be as soon as you get back."

Steve smiled. "I love you, Callie. Everything will be fine. You'll see."

She forced herself to return his smile, forbidding herself to cry this morning. She was determined not to make this any harder on him than it had to be.

She just wished she could feel as confident about this mission as he did.

* * *

Across town, Danny walked to his car and slid into the driver's seat. It felt…odd, and he couldn't help but think that he'd be driving all the time until his partner got back. Danny had learned a lot over the past week—sometimes to the point of feeling like he was on information overload—and had gained a tremendous amount of respect for Steve and the SEALs. Even though his part would be pretty small compared to what the SEALs would be doing, he felt honored to be included in the mission. He just hoped he could be all Steve needed him to be when it mattered the most.

* * *

The group gathered at Pearl Hickam to see the SEALs off. Dressed in their work uniforms of digital camo, they looked a lot different than the men who had been lounging around Steve's house the week before. Standing tall and straight, they looked ready—ready to take orders, ready for this mission, ready to do anything necessary to ensure its success.

It was that last part that worried Danny the most. He knew what Steve could be like when he was focused on something. It became an obsession, an all-encompassing thing that kept him from sleeping or eating or being able to see anything but the mission. With this in mind, Danny stepped over to Scott, Steve's 2IC.

He greeted the other man, shook his hand, then pulled him off to the side. "Take care of my boy, okay?"

Scott smiled. "I will. Don't forget, this isn't my first rodeo with him. I know the way he works, the way he thinks, the way he can block everything else—including physical needs—out. I'll make sure he sleeps and eats. I've been doing it for years."

"Thank you," Danny said quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear their conversation. "I just worry when he gets like this."

"I know. It's intense. But it's that intensity that makes him one of the best, you know? It's a blessing and a curse all at the same time. It's just up to the rest of us to provide the support, make sure he has what he needs, and catch him when the adrenaline dumps afterward. Don't worry, Danny—I've got him."

Danny nodded. If he couldn't be there, he was glad Steve had Scott.

* * *

Steve kissed Callie deeply. She leaned into him, forgetting for a moment that they weren't alone.

"No worrying," he said.

"No worrying," she whispered back.

"It's all going to be fine. I promise." He hugged her tight. "I love you."

"I love you more."

He grinned at her. "Not possible."

After another peck on the lips and one more hug, he picked up his bag. He said goodbye to the others, hugging each one, and stopped at Danny last.

"You good?" Danny asked him.

Steve nodded. "I'm good. We've got this."

"I know you do." Danny hugged him for a long time before clapping him on the back. "Love you, babe. Be safe."

"Love you, Danno."

* * *

The group watched the SEAL team walk toward the plane, each lost in their own thoughts. They watched the team board the plane, the sailors at the plane saluting Steve, and Danny shook his head. As much as Steve excelled as the head of Five-0, he was at home in his position as a Naval officer as well. The men disappeared into the belly of the plane and the door closed behind them, the engines roaring to life. The plane taxied and took off, which seemed to be a miracle in itself given the size of the aircraft. The group stared after it until it disappeared from sight.

Sally sighed. "It never gets easier, does it?"

"No," Jack confirmed. "It never does."


	18. Chapter 18

"McGarrett!" John Wallace called as the group of SEALs filed onto the deck of the aircraft carrier.

"Wallace!" Steve replied, grinning. The two men embraced.

"I wasn't sure I'd ever have the chance to operate with you again. I couldn't quite believe it when I heard you were coming out here."

Steve chuckled. "I know. It has been awhile."

"Well, it's good to have you back. Come on, I'll show you to your bunks. There's nothing going on until tomorrow. We'll have a strategy meeting at 0800."

Steve nodded, tossing his bag over his shoulder. "Sounds good."

John led them through the ship's hallways, giving an impromptu tour as he went. "You didn't request officer's quarters," John said to Steve noncommittally.

"No," Steve shrugged. "I'd rather stay with my guys."

"Don't let him seem so humble," Jay joked. "He just needs to keep an eye on us."

Steve rolled his eyes, but laughed along with the rest of them. "Damn right," he joked.

* * *

"Well, here we are," John said. "I know there's a time difference between here and Hawaii, and y'all missed dinner somewhere in there. The boys in the galley knew you were coming and said they'd be happy to fix you something even though it's after hours."

Steve shrugged. "I have a protein bar in my bag. I'm fine with that. The rest of you can do whatever you want." He moved past the men to duck into one of the rooms.

Jay sighed. "And so it begins."

"What begins?" Junior asked.

"Feeling guilty for eating because McGarrett won't," Scott answered.

"More like feeling like you're a lesser SEAL because you have to stop to eat when he doesn't," Eric snorted. "When he gets focused on a mission, eating and sleeping fall by the wayside for him. He can't be bothered by such things."

John laughed. "He's always been that way. It's not as if he does it on purpose. I think he honestly just forgets if someone doesn't remind him."

"How can you forget to eat?" Junior asked in awe.

* * *

There were two sets of bunk beds in each room. Steve, Scott, Jay, and Junior took one room, while Aaron, Greg, Jacks, and Eric took the other.

"I'll take the top bunk," Scott said.

"That's fine," Steve replied, lying down on the bottom bed. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Callie.

"Hey, Steve!" Callie answered perkily after a couple of rings. "We're all at Kamekona's, so you're on speaker, okay?"

"Okay."

There was a chorus of hellos from the group on the other end of the line, causing Steve to smile.

"I just wanted to call and check in, let you know we made it and all," Steve yawned.

"You sound tired, babe," Danny commented.

"Yeah. The flight, I guess. I dunno."

"When's your first meeting?"

"Tomorrow at 0800. Since we're five hours ahead, I'll fill you in on it later."

"I keep forgetting about the time difference. Did you guys eat dinner?" Tani asked.

"Some are getting ready to go to the mess hall now. I'm just going to eat a protein bar. I need to go over this report one more time."

The group at Kamekona's looked at each other.

"Steve…" Danny started.

"Look, I'm just not hungry, all right? The flight was rough and I'm tired and I don't feel like eating right now. I promise, I'll eat when I'm hungry, and I'm going to eat this protein bar even though I'm not. That make you happy, Danno?"

Danny looked at Callie and shook his head. Steve hadn't been gone a full twenty-four hours and Danny was already worried. He picked up his own phone and texted Junior: **Take care of him.**

The reply was almost immediate: **Will do.**

Danny frowned and then texted again: **I'm serious. I'm not there to watch his back, make sure he's taking care of himself.**

Junior's reply came quickly again: **I'm serious too. I'll watch him. Don't worry. Tell Callie not to worry.**

Danny held up the phone for Callie to see and she nodded, smiling slightly. Sweet Junior.

"I hope the meeting goes well tomorrow," Callie said, taking Steve off speaker phone. "Now, eat, go over your report, and get some sleep."

"Yes, ma'am," Steve smiled.

"I love you," Callie told him softly.

"And I love you more," he replied.

* * *

Commander Steve McGarrett's presence could fill a room. Confident and prepared, he led the meeting without a single misstep. He explained the mission to the group of SEALs gathered before him: His team would parachute in, meet up with a couple of friendlies who were prepared to provide a boat, go out to sea, then enter Colombia by swimming to shore underwater. They'd infiltrate the drug lord's oceanside compound, acquire the target by whatever means necessary, leave the compound, and exfil by meeting two helicopters east of the compound. While that was happening, the second wave of SEALs, led by John Wallace, would secure the compound, detaining less valuable members of the cartel and taking care of any civilians being held there. There was no foolproof plan when you were dealing with a drug cartel—the situation was too volatile to be able to be planned entirely—but the plan McGarrett had drafted was solid. Logistics were discussed, times nailed down.

"Alright, guys," Steve finally said. "Wheel's up at 1400."

* * *

"Good morning, Honolulu!" Jay yelled into the camera on Steve's helmet.

"Good morning, guys!" Tani said back. The group was watching a live feed from the body cameras on the SEALs and had open communication with all of them.

"Well, it's actually afternoon here," Junior responded.

"Whatever, Junes," Tani replied. "Everybody good there today?"

"Everybody's good," Steve confirmed. "Okay. We're about five minutes out. I need you to check each other's chutes again, line up, and count off."

"Yes, sir," the men responded. The energy in the air was palpable. As the members of Five-0 switched the camera from person to person for different views, they were able to see that each SEAL looked excited and ready as they prepared for the HALO jump.

"There's nothing better than this, boys!" Greg said, laughing.

"No better feeling in the world!" Eric agreed. "Right, Commander?"

"I don't know if I would go _that_ far," Steve smirked, drawing laughter from his team. "But pretty close."

"Commander McGarrett," the pilot said, "we're one minute out."

"Thank you," Steve replied. "Here we go."

One at a time, the men filed out of the plane and free fell through the sky before they opened their parachutes.

"How fast are they going?" Jerry asked.

"Steve said about 120 miles per hour while they're falling," Danny replied.

"Whoa," said Lou.

"Yeah. Whoa," Tani echoed. "That's unreal."

The SEALs fell through the sky while the Five-0 team watched in silent awe, once again amazed by these men.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you so much for the kind reviews! I'm thrilled so many of you are enjoying this story!**

The jump was executed perfectly, and the group proceeded with the next part of the plan in Ecuador. Hiking through the humid jungle, Jay began to grumble as he swatted at yet another bug.

"Did you know Ecuador has four climates? And one is really nice? Like spring temperatures all year long?" He slapped the side of his neck. "Why, exactly, did we not land there? Why did we have to come where it's so freakin' _hot_? Why here, in the middle of this damn jungle with mosquitoes the size of my fist trying to suck my blood?"

"I wouldn't worry about the mosquitoes," Steve said dryly. "You know you're in South America, right? Home to scorpions, black widows, tarantulas, killer bees, bullet ants…all much worse than mosquitoes."

"Holy shit, you're kidding," Jay replied, looking around carefully at the trees they were passing. "Right?" When Steve didn't answer, Jay looked to Aaron. "He's kidding, right?"

Aaron shook his head slowly. "Sorry, man. As much as I hate it, he's telling the truth."

Jay shuddered. "I tell you what, I'm hating this part of the mission." He swatted at another bug while he cautiously watched his step and the trees and bushes he brushed by. "Bring on the damn drug cartel. I'll take them over a tarantula any day."

* * *

After a couple hours of hiking through tough terrain, they came upon a break in the foliage that held a small village. Quietly, the group approached one of the houses and Steve rapped on the front door. An older man with kind eyes opened the door, smiling as he recognized Steve.

"Come in! Come in!" he said to the team, stepping back and welcoming them into his home. He embraced Steve warmly. "It has been too long, Steve!"

Steve smiled, "It has. Boys, this is Dale Edwards. We served together briefly when I first joined the Navy."

"That's right," Dale nodded. "I was at the end of my career, and young McGarrett here was just getting started. I had the unfortunate task of trying to keep him out of trouble. Somehow, I wound up getting _into_ more trouble than I kept him out of."

"That sounds like the last fifteen years of my life," Scott agreed. The SEALs roared with laughter at their leader's expense, knowing what both men had said was true. Steve grinned ruefully and shook his head.

* * *

Dale provided a meal and a place for the team to rest. After lunch, when all was quiet, he looked out the window to find Steve standing on the porch staring into the trees.

"I'd say 'a penny for your thoughts' but we both know yours are much more valuable than that," Dale said, stepping to stand beside him. "What's bothering you, son?"

Steve shook his head, frowning. "I don't know. Something feels…off." He sighed. "Maybe I'm just used to civilian life. Maybe I just can't stomach missions like I used to."

Dale looked at him seriously. "I've never known anyone with better instincts than you, Steve," he said. "If something feels off, then it probably is, and you need to proceed with caution."

Steve nodded as he watched two girls across the street play soccer, their black hair shining in the sunlight. "I know," he sighed. "I know."

* * *

After going back in the house, Dale found Scott. "You're his 2IC?" Dale asked.

"Yes, sir," Scott replied. "We served together for years."

Dale nodded. "You need to talk to him. He's worried about something. Says something feels off. He can't go into a mission like that-not this mission. Go sort it out with him."

Scott gave a grim look out the door. If Steve had taught him anything over the years, it was trust. Trust your CO, trust your team, trust your gut. And right now, his gut was saying that if Steve McGarrett felt that something was off about this mission, he wanted to haul ass in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Alright," Scott said, handing Steve a bottle of water. "First, drink that. I know you didn't eat or sleep, so at least drink some water. Then, sit down on this step right here and tell me what you're thinking."

"Thanks," Steve murmured. He took the bottle, opened it, and took two quick sips. "Something doesn't feel right. I don't know what, exactly. I feel like I'm being watched. I don't know why I feel that way, but I do, and it's got all my nerves standing on end."

"Okay. Do you think we need to abort the op? Or step back and slow the timeline down? Give ourselves time to think?"

"I don't-" Steve started to say.

The girl's scream cut through the once-tranquil twilight. Snapping his head up, Steve looked at Scott and the two took off in the direction of the noise. Rounding a bend in the path, the men stopped short as they realized why the girl had screamed. A large man turned toward them, smiling, as he held a knife to the girl's neck.

Felipe Ines.

More than a dozen men stepped out from behind the trees along the path.

The cartel had come to them.


	20. Chapter 20

"Commander McGarrett," Ines said, continuing to smile. "I heard you were in the area. So nice of you to come see me after all these years."

Steve's eyes were on the terrified child. "Let her go. She has no part in any of this."

"That's very true," Ines drawled. "You see, _you're_ the one I want. You cost me millions with your little vendetta against my cartel. Arresting my men, burning my warehouse of drugs. Surely you didn't think I'd forgotten all that?" He clucked his tongue, smiling viciously again. "One can't forget having to abandon their family, friends, and home for years. It does leave an impression."

"If it's me you want, then let her go."

"I must admit, I expected more from you, McGarrett. I didn't expect this unknown girl's life to matter quite so much to you. I expected a fight, not a trade. Is that what you're proposing, Commander? A trade?"

In years past, Steve would have been more inclined to give that fight. Not that the child wouldn't have mattered—she would have—but he would have taken the risk. Now, though, when he looked at the child he could only see Gracie, and that made all the difference. This child was someone's Gracie, and he couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her because of him.

"I am," Steve replied stoically.

"Hmm," Ines said, feigning thoughtfulness. He pressed the blade, causing drops of blood to appear along the girl's neck. She whimpered. "I suppose that would do."

In a flurry of movement, Ines pushed the girl toward Scott then rounded on Steve with the knife, stabbing him in the abdomen. Steve's eyes widened in surprise, his hands immediately going to the wound.

"Steve!" Scott yelled, taking his attention away from the girl and moving instinctively toward his friend and commanding officer.

Steve was on his knees, breathing harshly, hands still grabbing at his stomach. "D-don't," he said, holding up a hand to stop Scott from coming to him. "Don't leave her. Go…back."

Scott looked at him pleadingly.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant," Ines said with humor in his voice. "That wound won't kill him. Well, not today, anyway. Infection won't set in for a while, and I have many more plans for your commander before I allow him the peace that death will bring. Besides, I've always enjoyed this game of cat and mouse with your team. Let's play, shall we?"

Still trying to stop the bleeding from the girl's neck, Scott didn't dare move from where he was. Steve offered him a nod. "It's…going to be…fine."

"Ah, what is the saying?" Ines questioned the men, smiling wickedly. "Ignorance is bliss. You have no idea what awaits you, Commander. 'Fine' will not be how you describe your situation very soon."

Ines nodded to one of his men, signaling to give Steve an injection of some kind.

"No!" Scott yelled as he watched Steve's eyes roll back as his body crumpled to the ground.

"I'll be seeing you, Lieutenant. Good luck. I do hope you find the commander before it's too late for him."

With that, the cartel loaded into a convoy of large vehicles, taking an unconscious Steve with them.

* * *

Back at HQ, the group was waiting anxiously for contact from the SEAL team. Communication had gone quiet after they'd jumped from the plane. That had been expected, but it didn't make it any easier to wait. Danny was pacing while the others sat idly by.

A crackle through the speaker got their attention. "Captain North! Captain North!" Scott's voice shouted through the speaker. The group exchanged surprised looks as they realized Scott had reverted to using the title Jack held when Steve and Scott first knew him.

"Scott," Jack replied. "I'm here."

"There has been a leak of intel, sir. We've been outed. The cartel—they came to us, sir. _They came to us."_

The group let the implications of that knowledge sink in. Scott kept talking. "Original mission must be aborted, sir. Asking permission to cross into Colombia to rescue one of our own, sir."

"Permission granted. Who, Scott? Who have they got?"

"Commander McGarrett. But I'll be damned if I'm not going to get him back. _Son of a bitch Ines!_ " Scott yelled.

"Is Steve hurt?" Danny asked.

"Stabbed in the abdomen. He was injected with something, too. Maybe a sedative? Then they threw him in the convoy and took off. I need someone watching that convoy on the satellite. _Someone at Five-0._ Jack, I don't know where the leak came from, but I don't trust anyone other than the men on this team and Five-0. Someone screwed us over."

"We can't think about that right now," Greg's voice came through. "We need to get McGarrett back, deal with the cartel, then find the asshole who sold us out. From what Scott said, Ines didn't seem interested in killing him right now." The people in the Five-0 office flinched. "But he's set on torture, and we all know how brutal they can be. We gotta get him back fast."

"I know the higher ups didn't want an international incident," Jay said. "I'm sorry about that, Jack, but we're about to cause one."

"You just get our boy back," Jack replied. "I'll handle everything else."

* * *

Steve woke up in the back of a truck in the convoy, groaning and clutching at his stomach. Someone had wrapped a strip of cloth around the wound to slow the bleeding. His head ached and his mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. Whatever they had drugged him with hadn't made it completely out of his system yet. He tried to determine which direction they were headed and tried to listen to the conversations going on around him in the truck, but he couldn't make sense of anything. He slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

He woke again as he was drug into a windowless concrete room. Aside from a toilet in the corner, there was nothing else in the room. After being dumped onto the cold floor, he curled in on himself trying to find a position to ease the pain in his abdomen. It was no luck, and Steve was afraid things were going to get much worse before they got better. His team would find him, he knew. He only wondered how much he would have to endure before they did.

* * *

"Wake up, Commander," Ines said as a bucket of ice water was tossed on McGarrett. The men with him laughed at the Commander's gasping response. "Let's begin our fun, shall we?"

Steve was hauled to his feet and swayed where he stood.

"I have many friends who are angry with you for many reasons," Ines said. "It was quite lucrative for me to let them get involved. They were willing to pay top dollar to have a go at you."

Three men approached carrying baseball bats and Steve immediately prepared himself for the worst. He felt his ribs crack with the first hit and black dots danced in his vision. The men continued to be deliberate with their hits. Ribs, his right knee, his forearm and shoulder. Steve did his best to go somewhere else in his mind to escape the pain, but it was a struggle. The blow to the head was the last thing he felt before unconsciousness mercifully took him.


	21. Chapter 21

Callie's could have sworn her heart stopped when Danny told her the news in her office.

"What do you mean, they have him?" she asked, her voice at a higher pitch than normal.

Danny looked at her, sympathy in his eyes. "There was some sort of leak of the information. The cartel, this Ines fella, knew where the team was. From what Scott said, they were holding a little girl hostage and Steve gave himself up for her…switched places."

Callie wrapped her arms around herself. "Do they know where he's being held, Danny?"

"They're working on it. They're going to get him back, Callie."

Callie was determined to keep it together but couldn't help her eyes filling with tears. "It's the _cartel_. What shape is he going to be in when they get to him, Danny?"

"I don't know, babe. But they'll get him back and we'll go from there, okay? If anybody can survive this, it's him. And then we'll do whatever we have to do to put him back together again. Now, c'mere." Danny wrapped Callie in a tight hug. "It's alright. It's all going to be alright. You have more patients today, or do you want to go back to HQ with me?"

"I'll go back with you. Just let me fill Amy in and get my stuff together." She sighed heavily and pressed her hands to her face. "Damn it, Danny. Why him? Why is it always him? Why can't someone else suffer the fallout sometimes?"

"I don't know, babe," Danny said sadly. "I don't know."

* * *

Steve woke on the concrete floor with a shiver. Time had become meaningless. He didn't know if he'd been there hours or days and realized that it probably didn't really matter. He sniffled and rubbed his nose with his hand, coughing as he did.

"Shit," he mumbled to himself as he took stock of his body and how bad he felt. His head pounded. Given the dizziness and nausea he was experiencing, he'd suffered a concussion. He was pretty sure he was running a fever, either from the knife wound in his belly or the dirty water he'd been waterboarded with, or maybe both, or maybe he was coming down with something because of the damp, cold room he was being kept in. Ines hadn't been joking—he had his heart set on torture and was determined to make Steve suffer as much as humanly possible. He wished his team would find him quickly. He was trying to hang on, but it was getting harder by the minute. He couldn't stay awake for long periods at a time, and, much to the anger of Ines, he'd passed out during several beatings. Another shiver rolled through him causing his teeth to chatter. " _Shit._ "

The door opened then and Steve scrambled to move against the wall, protecting himself as much as possible.

"Sir?" a quiet voice said. "Sir?" A young Colombian woman entered the room, kneeling beside him. "I have water for you."

Steve looked at her and nodded his thanks as he took the bottle. "Thank you," he whispered after taking a small sip. "You speak English?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "My name is Elisabeth. May I ask yours?"

"Steve. Why are you here with them, with the cartel?" He coughed harshly, wincing at the pain in his chest.

"I was sold to the cartel by my stepfather years ago, after my mother passed. I'm not like them." She dipped a cloth in a bowl of water she'd brought with her. "You're feverish. Let me help?"

"Mm," Steve murmured. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. She pressed the cool, wet cloth against his forehead, then gently wiped his face.

"I'll try to get you some medicine," she said. "Something to bring down the fever at least. You need an antibiotic, but I don't think I'll be able to get that."

Steve sneezed. "'S okay. I will appreciate anything you can get me." He took another sip of water with a shaky hand.

"They're making you weak," Elisabeth told him. "It's part of their plan, I'm sure. Have they given you food?"

Steve shook his head. The thought of food, of putting anything into his mouth, chewing, and swallowing, caused the nausea from the concussion to become almost unbearable. Elisabeth must have noticed. She looked at him sympathetically and didn't say anything else about food.

She had been talking quietly, but now she dropped her voice to a low whisper. "Is anyone looking for you, Steve? Do you have friends, a team, colleagues?"

Steve, trying to be as alert as he could be given his poor physical state, looked Elisabeth in the eyes. He considered his choices carefully. Finally, knowing that the young woman was risking her life by giving him water and care, he chose to trust her. He nodded once, silently.

She returned the nod. "I'll try to contact them. I can't promise, but I'll try."

Steve nodded again, then tipped his head back against the cement wall, his eyes fluttering closed. "Five-0," he whispered. "Hawaii. _Danno._ "

* * *

Scott knew they were outnumbered. That's why there was supposed to be a second team coming in behind them in the original plan. Now, though, they didn't know who they could trust, and that meant they would trust no one. They were on their own, outnumbered, and who knew what kind of shape Steve would be in when they got to him. Having an injured man in tow would make the exfil even more complicated than it was already going to be.

He sighed and put the binoculars back to his face. He and Greg were doing recon on the compound, trying to be as prepared as they could be when they went in. It was a slow, tedious task, but it was necessary. He tried not to let his mind wander, tried not to think about what Steve was facing inside. It had been nearly seventy-two hours. Once Danny and the rest of Five-0 had gotten a bead on the convoy, the SEALs began moving. Slowly, stealthily, keeping a safe distance. Ines knew they were coming—of course he did—but Scott would be damned if he led them into an ambush. No, they would bide their time. Even though it killed him to know Steve was suffering, he knew he didn't have a choice and he knew McGarrett would understand.

It didn't make it any easier though.

* * *

The group sat in the bullpen, quiet except for the occasional sigh or murmured curse. Jack had accessed a high-powered Navy drone, and it was showing the heat signatures milling around the compound. Callie wondered if one of them was Steve.

* * *

Elisabeth casually sauntered onto the expansive terrace overlooking the beach. "I'm going for a walk," she said to Felipe. "Care to join?"

Felipe Ines looked up from the newspaper he was reading. He smiled. "Not now, my darling," he purred. "Another time?"

"Of course," Elisabeth said. That was what she had counted on. She leaned down, wrapping her arms around him and pressing a kiss to his cheek before leaving to walk on the beach. Playing this game, the game she'd played for years, made her sick to her stomach, but right now it was a necessary evil. She had learned early on that Felipe liked her more than the other girls, and she often used it to her advantage. She had spent years perfecting this act, waiting for a moment to escape. Somehow, she hoped her moment and Steve's were the same.

* * *

"Five-0," Tani answered the phone. No one else wanted the menial task, and with Junior off with Steve on this mission, she had the least amount of seniority. Even Adam seemed to have more than her, which she didn't think was exactly fair. Not that that was something she was going to bring up, _ever._ It seemed like she would be stuck with phone duty until further notice. She had started answering the phone through the speaker on the smart table though, much to the annoyance of her colleagues.

There was no answer on the other end of the line. She checked the caller ID. Blocked, of course. She rolled her eyes. Stupid kids and their stupid pranks. "Listen—" she started.

"Five-0?" a feminine voice said softly from the other side.

"Yes," said Tani, exchanging looks with the others. "Who is this?"

"A friend," the voice replied. "I need to speak to…to _Danno."_

Danny jerked his head up.

 _Steve._


	22. Chapter 22

**Again, thank you so much for the reviews and kind words! It's always such an encouragement to see a new one pop up!**

* * *

Danny exchanged a look with the others.

"This is Danny Williams," he said to the caller. "A friend calls me Danno. Have you been in contact with him?"

He was careful not to give too much information. He didn't know who this caller was, and he didn't want to make the mistake of falling into a trap.

"I have. My name is Elisabeth. I know where Steve is being held and have talked with him."

Danny's heartrate quickened. "So he's alive?"

"Yes…" she said hesitantly. "But he isn't doing well. He's injured and sick. They aren't giving him much water and have withheld all food. They're keeping him alive, but not comfortable. I'm trying to do as much for him as I can, but I have to be careful. He needs to get out of here soon."

"We have a team working on that," Danny replied, hoping he could trust this Elisabeth. "Any intel you could give us would help. What kind of injuries are we talking about?"

"There's a wound in his abdomen and they've cut him along his torso and chest. His knee is in bad shape and I believe his arm is broken at least in one place but probably more. I think he has a concussion." She paused, her voice going soft and sympathetic. "He has been beaten badly."

"Damn it," Lou cursed quietly.

"And you said he's sick? What do you mean?"

There was silence on the other end of the line. "He—he was waterboarded. His breathing sounds bad, he has a cough, and he's running a fever. Where they're holding him is damp and cold. There's no bed or mattress, not even a blanket. He still has his uniform, but no socks or shoes."

"Son of a bitch!" Danny yelled, hitting the table. He looked at the others. "We have to get him out _soon._ Elisabeth, any information you can give us about the compound would be very helpful. How many men does Ines have in there?"

"Around twenty, I believe. They come and go."

"Okay. Are there guards?"

"Yes, two at each of the three gates."

"And where are you right now? How were you able to call us?"

"I'm on the beach. I told Felipe I was taking a walk."

"The compound is open to the beach?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Danny was scribbling notes furiously. "Is there any way you can get Steve a weapon of some kind? Anything to protect himself with?"

"Maybe," Elisabeth said hesitantly.

"We don't want to put yourself in harm's way, but he's a Navy SEAL. If there's any way he can fight back, he will."

She chuckled lightly. "Yes, from what I've heard he's given them a run for their money."

"That's my boy," Danny said, with something akin to pride in his voice. "Now. Can I reach you on this number again?"

"Yes, but I will only answer if it's safe. No one knows I have this phone—it's a burner I purchased long ago in hopes of escaping."

"Good, good. Would you be able to help our guys when they get there?"

"I will be happy to help as much as I'm able. May I ask that, in return, I also leave with your men? I was sold to Felipe by my stepfather after my mother's death several years ago. This is not the life I wish to live."

"Of course," Danny paused. "Elisabeth, how old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Danny's blood boiled. Only slightly older than Grace, this girl had gone through more in her lifetime than any child should.

"Elisabeth, I promise. I promise we'll get you out too, and I promise we'll do everything we can to get you on your feet here."

"Thank you. I promise to look Steve as best I can until your friends get here."

"I can't tell you how much that means to all of us. We know the risk you're taking, and we're thankful. You tell him his ohana loves him and he'll be out of there soon. Tell him to keep fighting and that he better not even think about giving up."

* * *

"Listen, Scott, we've got some intel for you. Apparently, a young woman talked to Steve and he was able to give her enough information for her to track down Danny at Five-0."

"A woman? Somebody on the inside?" Scott asked.

"Sounds like it."

"What did she say about Steve?"

"He's in bad shape. Busted arm and knee, tortured, waterboarded, probably a concussion…it doesn't sound good. She says he's sick, coughing and has a fever.

"Screw being careful then. We have to get to him now."

"Are you sure you don't want the second SEAL team as back up?"

"No," Scott said adamantly. "Someone leaked the mission, our location, everything. We can't take that chance with Steve's life. We'll go in alone."

"The girl, Elisabeth, estimates about twenty hostiles. You'll be outnumbered."

"We don't mind outnumbered, do we boys?" The rest of the men grinned.

"Hell, no," Jay said. "Now, let's go get our boy and kick the cartel's ass in the process."

Elisabeth walked silently down the hallway to the room where Steve was being kept, carrying as many supplies as she could without being noticed. She opened the door quietly.

He didn't move this time, didn't scramble to get away or make any effort to protect himself. His eyes were still closed as she moved into the room.

"Steve?" she whispered. "Steve, wake up." She took in how terrible he looked. She gently laid a hand on his forehead and was shocked at the heat she felt there. Feeling bad about waking him, but knowing she had to, she shook his shoulder. Surprised by the touch and jolted from sleep, he gasped as he woke, triggering a harsh coughing fit that sounded painful. Clutching at his chest, Steve opened his eyes wide and looked at Elisabeth.

"Wh-what's…?" he whispered in confusion around coughs.

"Shh. Take deep breaths. I brought a few things. First, water." She gave it to him and he drank gratefully. "I brought a granola bar for you too. I know you haven't eaten, and I know you probably don't want to, but you need to keep your strength up. I got in contact with Danno…Danny." She kept talking as she handed him two Tylenol. "He said they were coming for you, and for you to keep fighting. He also said to tell you your 'ohana' loves you, but I don't know what that word means."

"Family," Steve rasped.

"What?"

"Ohana means family. Not necessarily blood."

"Oh." The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I, uh, also brought this," she said nervously. She reached into her bag and produced a handgun, holding it out to Steve. She was obviously uncomfortable with it.

Raising his eyebrows, Steve took the gun from Elisabeth.

"Danny asked me to try to get you a weapon of some kind. This is one Felipe keeps in the house. I also brought these." She pulled out a box of bullets.

Steve nodded. He still felt awful and the pain was unrelenting, but things were becoming more even again and that gave him the surge of adrenaline he needed to last a little longer. He tucked the gun into his waistband.

"I think your friends are coming soon. You need to be as ready to move as possible when they get here. I've got supplies to bandage some of these wounds and get them cleaned up before you have to move so much."

"Thank you."

"Let's start with the largest knife wound," Elisabeth said, reaching toward Steve's abdomen.

He pulled back suddenly. "It's fine."

"I doubt that. Just let me see it. I don't claim to be a doctor or anything, but I'm trained in First Aid." She reached again, this time successfully grabbing the hem of his shirt.

"Oh, Steve!" she gasped as she saw the clearly infected wound. "It's infected!"

"I know," Steve said calmly. "No medical treatment and conditions like these will do that. There's nothing we can do right now about it. Hand me the kit and I'll clean and bandage it the best I can."

"I can help you," Elisabeth said as she handed him the kit. "I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked hesitantly. Truth be told, he was feeling very shaky and didn't know if he had enough control of his hands to take care of the wound himself.

"Yes. Now, lie back. I'll try to be as quick as possible, but I know this is going to hurt."

He hissed as the solution touched the wound. She looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's…fine. Just…keep going," he panted through the pain.

As carefully as possible, she bandaged it and moved on to the other smaller cuts. Pleased with the bandages, she moved to his bruised ribs. "These look broken. Do you want me to wrap them?"

"Yes…please," Steve managed to say.

She took her time wrapping the ribs, trying not to irritate any of the cuts scattered over his torso and abdomen. Moving on to his arm and knee, she didn't know what to do. Not willing to risk disturbing the bones any more, she made a makeshift sling out of a thin jacket she'd brought with her in her bag. "They broke your fingers," she said in a sad whisper. "I'm so sorry this has happened to you."

Steve nodded, but didn't respond aloud. Elisabeth didn't dare touch his knee. It was swollen to nearly twice it's normal size, and they both knew it was going to require surgery.

"You're not going to be able to walk on that."

"I'm going to have to," Steve replied, gritting his teeth. "I won't slow my team down."

"You're going to cause more damage."

"Pretty sure that's not possible." Steve gave her a lopsided smile, trying to make light of the situation. "It'll be okay. Do you know where they put my boots?"

She pulled them out of the bag.

"Mary Poppins," Steve said.

"Who's Mary Poppins?" Elisabeth asked, confused.

"Never mind. I'll tell you later. Danny—you told him you were being held against your will?"

"Yes, and I asked to leave Colombia with your team." She frowned. "I know I don't have the right paperwork though. I don't even have a passport."

"Forget the paperwork," Steve waved his good hand, but then winced at the movement it caused in his ribs. "I'll handle it."

He shivered hard then and leaned his head against the wall, what little energy he had already spent. "Damn fever," he muttered. "You said…they'd be here soon?"

She took a cloth and wet it with cool water, then laid it across Steve's forehead. "Sleep if you can. You're going to need as much energy as you can have. I'm not leaving."

"Mm," he murmured in agreement. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Before leaving her room that morning, Elisabeth had packed a small bag with a few changes of clothes and the only picture she had of her mother, taking care to leave room for the medical supplies she planned to pack and Steve's boots. She hoped she could believe Danny Williams. She hoped that, soon, she would be out of this terrible place.

* * *

There was a commotion outside the building.

Elisabeth shook Steve awake. "Something's going on outside," she said. "Can you hear it?"

Instantly awake, he listened. "Gunfire," he said. His mouth was set in a firm line as he concentrated. "M4s," he grinned weakly. "Calvary's here."

Just then, the door flew open and Ines and three of his men barged into the small room. Ines' eyes widened at the sight of Elisabeth.

"Traitor!" he roared, lunging toward her.

In one swift movement, Steve managed to stand and push Elisabeth behind him, shielding her. Surprising Ines, he pulled the gun from his back and quickly fired, effectively stopping all four men. Ines was the last to die, his eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling.

* * *

Steve groaned, sliding down the wall and back onto the floor. He held his head with his good hand. The noise from the gun had set off the pain from the concussion, and Steve was in a world of hurt. The room was spinning, and he felt sick. He had had his fair share of concussions in the past, but never this bad. The vertigo was unbearable, and he briefly wondered if something else was going on.

* * *

Ever so quietly, the team of SEALs entered the building. Heading down a long hallway, they saw bodies lying in the doorway of a room.

"What the hell?" Jay muttered softly.

Scott grinned. "Betcha ten to one it was McGarrett."

Jay rolled his eyes. "I don't take bets when I know I'm going to lose."

Junior had never been so worried and relieved all at the same time. They had found Steve, but he was in terrible shape. Junior honestly didn't know how he was still alive, much less able to take down four key cartel members.

"Commander McGarrett!" Junior rushed to Steve's side, Scott and Jacks stepping over the bodies and coming right behind him. "God, Commander…" He gently touched Steve's arm while Jacks began to look over his injuries quickly.

Steve's eyes opened at the touch, twinkling with the tiniest bit of mirth. "Took y'all long…enough. Where…the hell have you been?"

Scott smiled at him. "It's good to see you, buddy. And, obviously, you did okay on your own." He motioned back at the doorway.

Scott took a good look at Steve, who had closed his eyes and was wincing as Jacks examined his knee. He didn't want to imagine the hell his friend had been through over the last few days.

Jacks looked up at Scott and gave him a disgusted look. "I swear I'd like to haul their asses up and kill them again. There's no reason to ever do this to a person. I can't believe he's still conscious, and I have no idea how he took those guys out."

"Sheer willpower is my guess," Junior volunteered.

Jacks nodded. "Most definitely."

The other SEALs had been talking to Elisabeth and now Jacks turned his attention to her. "You did a good job. Thank you for taking care of him."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more. I gave him Tylenol, but I know he needs more than that."

"You did everything you could," Greg patted her arm. "We appreciate it."

* * *

"How are we going to do this?" Junior asked.

"As carefully as we can," Jacks said. "We're going to hurt him though."

" _He_ is right here," Steve ground out. "And I'll be fine. Let's go." He held his uninjured arm up and Junior hauled him up. Steve swayed on his feet and Junior and Scott grabbed him on either side. Steve's eyes fluttered closed.

"No, no, no, Princess," Jay said, moving closer in case an extra set of hands was needed. "No passing out."

"'M not gonna pass out," Steve mumbled.

"Yeah, well, that'd be much more believable if you weren't the color of a sheet, buddy." He put his hand on Steve's shoulder, grounding him. His voice was sympathetic when he spoke next. "I know you have to be hurting and you're burning up. Just lean on us, okay? We've got you. _We've got you_."

Steve nodded.

"You let us know if you need to stop, okay?"

Again, Steve nodded and the men gingerly headed toward the door. It was a slow trip, but to his credit, Steve didn't complain. His face was pale, but determined, and the others drew on that strength.

"Wha's th' plan?" Steve slurred, exhaustion and injuries catching up with him.

"Jack called in a few favors. We have a private jet waiting on us at an airfield near here. The pilot is a friend of Jack's, and there are some friends working security as well, just in case of any blowback from our little mission there. As soon as we're on it, we're heading back to Hawaii." Scott watched Steve as he answered. The flight was going to be long and difficult for Steve, but they didn't have another choice. He needed medical attention and there was no way they were going to a Colombian hospital.

* * *

"Stop," Steve said hoarsely.

"Sir?" Junior questioned.

"Gonna be sick," Steve murmured.

"It's alright. We've got you, sir," Junior said as Steve gagged and threw up the tiny bit of water he'd drank before beginning to dry heave.

Steve moaned, sagging against Junior. "'M sorry," he apologized.

"Nothing to be sorry for, sir," Junior insisted, glad he was there to help the man he looked up to more than anyone else. At first he hadn't known what to do, but then decided the Commander was sick and hurt, and— _screw it_ —everyone wanted comfort when they felt bad. He tentatively put a hand on his shoulder and, when he wasn't shrugged off, began to rub Steve's back. Junior pulled a bottle of water from his pack and offered it to Steve. He took a sip, rinsed his mouth, and spat. "Ugh," he shivered. "C-can we—do we have time to sit?" he asked, looking at Scott.

Scott looked apologetic. "Not really. We need to keep going. I'm sorry, Steve."

"'s okay," Steve mumbled, dropping his head. "'s okay."

* * *

By the time they got to the plane, Steve had nearly bitten through his bottom lip trying not to scream from the pain.

"Let's get him settled in the bedroom," Jacks said as they boarded. "I'll start an IV, get some fluids and morphine into him, and then we can get out of here."


	23. Chapter 23

There was something to be said for the way team guys rallied around their own. It was similar to the way a family worked, but it somehow seemed almost more intimate. Maybe it was the secretive nature of their work and the fact they could only share some things with one another, maybe it was the experiences they'd lived through together, or maybe it was the bond formed by bleeding and losing brothers together. Whatever the reason for the intimate closeness, this group of men was tight. Elisabeth watched as they worked together seamlessly to care for Steve.

Jacks was clearly in charge. He quietly told the others what to do. It seemed to be Junior's job to talk to Steve and keep him calm. Junior, the youngest on the team, seemed to be the one most affected by the commander's poor condition. Elisabeth wondered what their relationship was as she watched them. Junior was sitting on the bed carefully smoothing a cool cloth over Steve's face. When they had boarded the plane, the men had washed up as best they could and changed into clean clothes at Jacks' insistence. He wanted to keep everything as clean as possible. They had helped Steve to wash and change as well and it seemed to have made the bruises that covered his body show up even more than before. Elisabeth winced as she looked at him. She knew he had to be aching all over.

Elisabeth hung at the back of the group, not sure what to do. Jay looked up then and caught her staring. He flashed a brief smile at her and made his way over.

"Hey," he said quietly. "How are you doing?"

"Me?" Elisabeth asked, shaking her head. "I'm fine. But Steve…"

"He'll be okay. It's going to take a while, but he'll be okay. He's one of the strongest, most determined people I've ever met."

Elisabeth nodded. "I hope so. He saved my life today. Twice really. Once when Felipe came and again by giving me a way to get out of there."

"What are your plans once you get to Hawaii?"

Elisabeth laughed softly. "I have no idea. When this plane lands, I have no idea what I'm going to do. Felipe gave me a tutor until I finished high school and then allowed me to enroll at the University, but I have no money to attend college right now. I have no money for anything, no place to live, no car, no family, no friends…but I'm alive, and I don't have to be in that cartel anymore and for that I'm grateful." She shrugged. "I'll figure everything else out as I go."

"That's an amazing outlook to have. And I can tell you one thing right now—you do have friends right here on this plane. And when you land, I can guarantee that you're going to walk into a ready-made ohana that will accept you and take you in with open arms. Living arrangements, college, all that—Steve and Danny will take care of it." He motioned toward Steve. "Things will be up in the air until he's better, but it'll all be fine. They'll make sure you're okay."

Elisabeth nodded, not daring to believe her good fortune.

* * *

Steve was beginning to stir, grimacing and moaning softly as he did.

"Hey, commander" Junior quietly said. "How you doing?"

Steve coughed, curling up on his side. "Mm," he mumbled. He shivered. "'M cold."

The other SEALs scrambled to find more blankets. Scott tucked them around Steve. "Is that better?"

"Yeah," Steve mumbled, still shivering. "God, I hurt."

The others exchanged looks. For Steve to actually admit that he was hurting said a lot for the level of pain he was in.

"Can you give him anything else?" Scott asked Jacks.

Jacks gave a slight shake of his head. "I'm worried about his breathing, and morphine slows it down. I'm nervous about giving him anymore. He isn't taking deep enough breaths as it is. Plus, we're only an hour out right now. I don't know what they'll want to do first, or if they'll want to do surgery right away. I don't want to complicate things."

"I understand," Scott nodded.

"We're just going to have to help him through it the best we can."

"Alright," Junior said, nodding in determination. "We can do this."

* * *

Over the next hour, the SEALs monitored the fever that kept rising, held him as he threw up from the pain, and tried to provide as much comfort as they could.

"We're almost there, Steve," Junior soothed. "Almost there."

* * *

When the plane touched down in Honolulu, Callie's heart was in her throat. She was so, so grateful to have Steve back on American soil.

"He's never leaving again. Ever. No more missions or cartels or deployments or…anything. _No more anything._ We're going to get married and spend a month in Italy and then come back and live happily _and safely_ ever after. Being worried like this is ridiculous. It's not healthy. And that's just for me. I can't even begin to imagine what he's been through." The tears she'd tried so hard to keep in that day slowly dripped down her cheeks. " _God, what has he been through?_ How does a person come back from something like this?" Jacks hadn't been detailed in his account of Steve's injuries, but he did tell the ohana in Honolulu that it was bad and they needed to know the recovery would not be quick. Callie replayed that conversation over and over in her mind, dreading to know what Jacks really meant by it.

Danny gave her a hug. "He'll be alright, Callie. He's home now. We'll take care of him. Whatever he needs, we'll do it and everything will be okay."

"That's right," Lou agreed.

"And we'll stay as long as you want us to," Sally offered, rubbing Callie's arm. "Jack will have to go back to Washington some, but there's no reason I can't stay. That's nothing you need to decide now, of course, but I want you and Steve to know I'd be happy to."

"Thank you, Sally," Callie said, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue Tani had given her. "That's very kind of you." She took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm sorry, guys. I lost it for a minute there, but I'm good now."

Tani shook her head. "I think we've all lost it a time or two over the last few days. You don't need to apologize at all."

The rest of the group nodded.

"Okay," Jack said. "Looks like they're ready. Let's go welcome our guys home."

* * *

There was an ambulance waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed. Dr. Paul, the chief of staff at Tripler, had chosen to accompany the EMTs. Dr. Paul had been a friend of John McGarrett and had treated Steve in the past. He had known Steve a long time, and when he heard about what happened, he immediately announced he was going alone. He'd make the initial call as far as treatment went, and his plan would be radioed to the hospital. By the time the ambulance arrived at the hospital, everything would be ready to go.

Steve had gone into shock and was drifting in and out of consciousness as the EMTs and Dr. Paul boarded the plane with a stretcher.

"My Lord," Dr. Paul said, covering his mouth. "You took care of the people who did this?"

"Yes, sir," Scott confirmed, running a hand over Steve's hair. He needed to touch his friend to reassure himself.

Dr. Paul nodded. "That's good. Can someone tell me about his injuries as we move him?"

"I can do that, sir," Jacks said quickly and moved to talk to Dr. Paul in a more private conversation. The EMTs moved Steve carefully from the bed to the stretcher under the watchful eyes of the SEALs. Fiercely protective, they seemed to have closed ranks around their commander. Nothing, and no one, was getting to Steve without going through them first. They had discussed it during the flight.

"Watch his knee!" Jay growled.

"You need to cover him with those blankets," Eric said sternly, frowning. "He's shivering."

One of the EMTs made the mistake of telling the SEALs that would be against protocol. They didn't cover patients during transport, and certainly not with personal blankets.

Greg stood to his full height, towering over the two men. "Let me tell you something," he said in a low, threatening voice. "That man was tortured for days. He's running a fever of over 103 degrees. I'll be damned if I'm going to let him lie there and freakin' _shiver._ You feel me?"

The blankets were piled on Steve and the group left the plane.

The others were waiting outside. They knew time was of the essence, but they just needed to see him for themselves. What they saw didn't make them feel better at all.

"Hey," Scott said sharply to the EMTs. "Give her a minute." He motioned to Callie.

"We really need to get him—"

"He just made an eleven hour flight! I hardly think two more minutes will matter. Give her a minute."

Callie grabbed Danny's hand and the two walked closer to the stretcher and the man who meant so much to them both.

" _Steve_ ," Callie breathed softly. She kissed his forehead softly, concerned with the fever she felt there.

Miraculously, he somehow found the strength to fight his way to consciousness. His eyes found Callie's and he reached for her with his right hand. She grabbed it and held it tightly.

"You're home," she told him quietly. "I love you so much."

"Love you…too," he whispered before coughing harshly.

Danny laid a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Aw, buddy," he shook his head. "They did a number on you, didn't they?"

"M…okay, Danno. Don' worry."

"Of course I'm going to worry, you goof. We're gonna let these nice people get you to the hospital now so we can get you on the road to getting better, okay? We'll see you there in just a little bit."

Danny squeezed Steve's shoulder carefully. Callie leaned down and gave him a chaste, gentle kiss, then nodded to the EMTs.

"I'm going to go with him," Jacks said to Danny and Callie. They both nodded.

"Thanks, Jacks," Callie murmured as she watched Steve be loaded into the ambulance.

He gave Callie a quick hug. "I'll see you there, okay?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

As the ambulance pulled away, Callie clung to Danny as if her life depended on it.


	24. Chapter 24

Elisabeth hung toward the back of the group, clutching her bag. She felt like she was an intruder on this homecoming, and she was uncomfortable as she watched everyone exchange greetings and hugs. She was looking at the ground, thinking that Jay may have been mistaken in what he had told her earlier, when a voice spoke up.

"Hi," Callie said, touching Elisabeth's arm. "You must be Elisabeth. I'm Callie, Steve's fiancée. We're so glad you're here and safe. And thank you for all you did for Steve."

"I didn't do that much," Elisabeth said. "But thank you. And I'm very thankful to be here."

Callie nodded. "I want to talk with you more; please know that," she said kindly. "But we need to get to the hospital now. Can we talk more there?"

"Of course," Elisabeth said, nodding in understanding.

"I'm Danny," Danny said, sticking out his hand. "You're welcome to ride with me and Callie."

* * *

"Alright," Dr. Paul said to the group in the waiting room. He looked at Callie. "First, Dr. Ryan, are you here as Steve's fiancée or physician?"

"Both," Callie said firmly. "As his fiancée first, but I do expect my office to be informed of medications, treatment plans, and such through written records. Our personal relationship aside, he's still my patient and remains under my care for the treatment and management of radiation poisoning. I also have privileges here and intend to be part of his care team."

Dr. Paul nodded. "Understood. Speaking of the team, I've put together a phenomenal group of doctors. I want you to know that I chose the best of the best." He took a deep breath. "So, first, we've stitched up the stab wound in his abdomen and the deeper lacerations. The stab wound was already infected and has led to septicemia, I'm sorry to say."

"Damn it," Callie muttered.

"My thoughts exactly," Dr. Paul agreed. "He's got a hell of a fever right now. That infection is throwing his whole system for a loop, and, what's worse, that's not all we're dealing with.

He has pneumonia and an upper respiratory infection and he's severely dehydrated, as he has only been given small amounts of water and no food for several days." Dr. Paul shook his head. "He has a moderate concussion and a broken cheekbone. His left forearm is fractured in two places, as well as his left wrist." Dr. Paul stopped, looking at the group in sympathy, hating what he had to tell them next. "All of his fingers are broken on that hand."

Knowing someone you love has been tortured is horrible. But to have to think about the specifics, about the waterboarding and someone intentionally snapping each of their fingers was nearly unbearable.

"Steve's right patella is just shattered. I don't know how that happened. Knee caps are difficult bones to break, and usually we only see them from car accidents and the like. Maybe it was from a bad fall?"

"No," Elisabeth spoke up softly, eyes on the ground. "They did that with a metal pipe."

"A—a _person_ caused this damage?" Dr. Paul asked her.

"Not just one. Maybe three or four?" she spoke softly. She shook her head sadly. "They took turns."

"It's a miracle he's made it this far," Dr. Paul told the group. "The septicemia and pneumonia are our biggest concerns right now. He's going to need surgery to repair the damage to both his arm and knee, but he's too weak for that right now. He wouldn't make it through. As of right now, our plan is to get him comfortable and rehydrated, and give him heavy duty antibiotics. I can't give him as much pain medication as I'd like to because of the concussion. He's still feeling a great deal of pain from his injuries, and pain always slows recovery because it won't allow the body to rest. We'll treat him the best we can and then go from there depending on how he responds to the treatment."

Danny shook his head. "I'm sorry; I don't think I understand. What do you mean, depending on how well he responds? You'd obviously do the surgeries then, right?"

Dr. Paul sighed, taking time to look each person in the face. "You have to understand. Steve has been through major trauma. Right now, he's in septic shock, which means there's an infection in his blood stream that's wreaking havoc on all the systems in his body. I'm not sure how much you know about waterboarding, but it's essentially drowning a person over and over again. It's an awful, awful thing. His lungs are in terrible shape right now, even without the pneumonia."

"So what are you telling us?" Tani asked forcefully. "That we're going to lose him? What are his odds?"

Callie walked away from the group then. She knew the odds were not in their favor, and she didn't need to hear Dr. Paul confirm it. She didn't want to see Tani angry about it, didn't want to see the look of reality dawning on Danny's face, didn't want Junior— _bless him, sweet Junior_ —to try to console her when he was so close to falling apart himself.

* * *

"He's one of the strongest people I know," Sally said to her, gently touching her elbow as she approached. "Whatever the odds, God has this under control, Callie. He has since the beginning."

Callie nodded. "I know. It's going to be a long, tough recovery though."

"It is," agreed a voice from behind her. "That's why I told them as soon as he came in that he was my patient. Not that me saying that kept the others from fawning over him, but at least I'm his primary nurse again."

Callie turned to see Dinah, the registered nurse who had helped so much after Steve's skull fracture.

"Dinah," Callie hugged the woman.

"Hi, sweetheart," Dinah said warmly. "I hate we're meeting again under such unfortunate circumstances."

"Me too. But I'm thankful you're his nurse. It's good to see a friendly and familiar face. I know Steve will think so too."

"Oh yes, he and I are good buddies you know," Dinah winked, then turned more serious. "He isn't really engaging much right now though. I'm sure we'll return to our regular banter soon. We've got him settled now. Are you ready to see him?"

"Of course," Callie smiled.

* * *

"Hey," Callie said softly, coming into the quiet hospital room.

Two tired, bleary eyes looked back at her from the hospital bed. Against the white sheet and his pale skin, the bruises on his face and dark smudges under his eyes stood out. He had a feverish flush on his cheeks and his nose and mouth were covered by an oxygen mask. He weakly raised a couple of fingers on his right hand as a greeting.

She walked to the bed, her eyes never leaving his. "Hey," she said again. She reached out and brushed through his hair with her fingers.

He looked at her but didn't respond.

She pulled a chair to the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Mm," he mumbled, shaking his head slightly.

"Not good, huh?"

Again, a slight shake of the head. "Feel sick."

"Like nauseous?"

"No…just… _sick_." His eyes fluttered shut but he forced them open again.

Callie rubbed his arm. "It's okay, Steve. Sleep. You don't have to stay awake now. You're safe."

The fear in his eyes broke her heart.

"Don't leave," he whispered

"I won't, sweetheart," Callie said, pulling a chair close to the bed. "I'll be right here. Just rest."

She gently rubbed her fingers through his hair, careful to avoid the bruises. He sniffled and shifted, trying to get more comfortable. He shivered. Callie pulled the thin sheet and blanket up higher, taking care not to disturb his injured knee and arm. Steve's breath had evened out and he was fast asleep.

"Oh, Steve," she whispered. "Please be okay."

* * *

Dinah walked in quietly. "Hi, Dr. Ryan," she said to Callie. "How's our patient?"

"Not feeling too well," Callie said. She frowned. "And too quiet."

Dinah understood what Callie meant. Since he had arrived at Tripler, Commander McGarrett had spoken very little. She was worried. The physical injuries were massive, but she was afraid the psychological injuries were even more so.


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you so much for the kind reviews! They have been so encouraging!**

 **As always, the regular disclaimer applies: All recognizable characters are not my own.**

* * *

Danny tapped on the hospital room door lightly before pushing it open.

He knew Steve would look bad, but he hadn't quite prepared himself for just _how bad_ and it caused him to stop in the doorway. Steve was pale and sweating, with colorful bruises decorating most of the skin Danny could see. His eyes were glassy and tired, showing the weariness he felt. His left arm was in a sling held close to his body, and his right leg was elevated under the sheet to help with swelling.

"Hey, babe," Danny said softly, shaking himself into action.

Steve looked toward the door warily, then turned his head into the pillow and closed his eyes.

Callie stood up and motioned for Danny to take the chair by the bed. She gave him a tired smile. As she hugged him, she whispered, "He needs you, Danno."

Danny nodded. "You go get something to eat or drink. I'll work on sorting our boy out." Callie squeezed his arm and took her leave.

He pulled the chair as close to the bed as he could. "Ah, hell, babe. They did a number on you, didn't they?"

He didn't get a response, but he hadn't expected one. This was not the kind of experience you bounced back from quickly, even in perfect health. He understood why Steve wasn't talking. He didn't know the specifics, not yet, but he could put enough of the pieces together to get a fairly good picture of what had probably happened, and the picture was ugly. Steve needed love, support, and reassurance by the ton, and Danny was the person—well, one of the people—for the job. He sat in the chair and watched his friend. How had this happened to Steve again? How could such a good man always end up in such terrible situations? Danny felt like God or the universe or mankind or _somebody_ owed Steve a break. A long break filled with nothing but good things because if anybody deserved it, it was Steve.

Danny knew his partner was a different breed. Steve was perfectly willing, at any point in time, to give up his life for someone else. He didn't have to love or even know that person—just that they existed was enough for him. He had proved it over and over again, and, now, with the girl from the village and Elisabeth, it was evident again. Sometimes that kind of selflessness in his partner infuriated Danny. Why couldn't Steve see how important _he_ was, how wrecked so many people would be if he died during one of these selfless missions? Danny didn't know how to get that through his partner's thick skull. And it wasn't just about serious life-or-death things. No, it went as far as he would work himself into the ground so the rest of them could leave at five to go be with their families. He would work all the holidays so, again, the rest of them could be off. Watching his partner sleep restlessly, Danny prayed Callie could cause him to see reason this holiday season. Maybe she could convince him that he deserved to have time off, too.

But, Danny thought, Steve would be off this year for the holidays, wouldn't he? Thanksgiving was next week, and Danny doubted Steve would even be out of the hospital by Christmas.

"Damn it," he cursed in a whisper, tears stinging his eyes. "That's not what I meant by taking time off, babe. I hate this. I hate seeing you sick and hurt. You don't deserve a minute of this, Steven, and, I swear, after we get you through this I'm going to wrap you in bubble wrap and never let you out of my sight again."

* * *

Steve coughed weakly, wrapping his right arm around his broken ribs. He groaned. Danny had been lost in his own thoughts, but immediately snapped to attention at the noise. He glanced at the heart monitor as the beeping quickened.

"Hurting?" Danny asked, laying a hand gently on top of Steve's head.

Steve opened his eyes briefly, and the pain there shook Danny. "Mm," Steve hummed in affirmation.

"I'll call for the nurse."

"Don't…bother," Steve whispered hoarsely, finally speaking. "Can't have…anymore…now. Con-," he grimaced and made a whining sound before going on, "Concussion….and meds slow….my breathing. Doctor said…no…more…now."

"So you just have to deal with the pain?"

Steve squeezed his eyes shut. "Mm-hm."

Danny swung his gaze to Scott, who had been sitting in the corner. Scott was standing now that Steve was showing obvious signs of pain, frowning and clenching his fists at his side. "Is that true?"

Danny hated that he was having to turn to someone else for information about his partner, information that he should have heard straight from the doctor himself. The SEALs, in typical SEAL fashion, had swooped in once they had arrived at the hospital, insisting that one of them would always be present for as long as Steve was in the hospital. Somehow Scott and Jack had even forced their way into the ER along with Jacks when Steve first arrived. Danny had stood in the hallway outside the treatment room while Steve's condition was assessed. The tiny room was crowded with both bodies (well-built SEALs) and big personalities and attitudes (the SecNav, SEALs, and multiple doctors), and Danny thought it best if he just stayed out of the mix for the moment.

"Frustratingly enough, yeah," Scott confirmed. "To be fair to the docs, he's got a lot of morphine on board right now. It just isn't touching the amount of pain he's dealing with. He needs—"

"—Dilaudid," Danny said as Scott said the same thing.

Scott grinned. "You know him well."

Scott moved to the edge of the bed, grabbing Steve's wrist and pushing on his good shoulder, grounding him. "Hey," he said with more compassion than Danny had ever thought possible from the strong, tough man. "Breathe. Open those eyes, buddy, and look at me." It took a minute, but Steve obeyed. "Alright," Scott smiled. "There you are. Now, breathe through it." Steve's heart rate and respiration only quickened. "Uh-huh, uh-huh, no, no, no. You've got to calm down. You're going to hyperventilate. I know it's bad, I know it hurts, and I know you want to cuss me for even acting like I know how bad, but you're spiraling, buddy. You keep your eyes open and on me. Danny, move over here." Danny moved to the same side of the bed as Scott. "Look, Dog, Danny's here too. You keep your eyes on us, alright? Breathe with me. In 1-2-3-4; hold 1-2-3-4; out 1-2-3-4. You're one of the best at this, Steve. Use it to get through this. Do it again." He watched Steve's breathing and checked the monitor to see that his heart rate was coming down. "That's it, buddy. That's it. You're alright…" He dropped his voice volume even lower. "You're past it now. Just rest."

"Breathing techniques?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. Have you never noticed him doing it before? It's called combat or tactical breathing. He's really good at it, and meditation too. Had to be, being a sniper. I've seen him settle down, get into position, and not move for hours. His life, our lives, depended on him not moving, and—even though he has all this crazy energy—he could focus, meditate, and do it. That's what he's doing right now. I just had to remind him to do it."

"That's…impressive. And, yeah, I've seen him go still like that before, but I never asked him about it. I figured it was something like that."

Scott chuckled and shook his head. "Gosh, his energy. Like the damn Energizer bunny, you know?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it." He laughed.

Scott turned serious. "Look, I know it probably seems like we just came in and took over everything. And, well…I guess we did. I'm sorry for that. It's a team thing, I guess—that man right there is my CO, but he's also one of my very best friends…my brother, you know? And you don't leave a man behind, even after you get back. That's the way we operate. One of us will always be in this room. We're here for whatever he needs—or whatever Callie needs, or you and your team need…We'll be here, without question, for as long as it takes him to get back on his feet."

Danny understood where Scott was coming from, and realized that Scott, and the rest of the SEALs, were just doing what they knew and had the very best intentions. Danny immediately felt better. His hackles, admittedly, had been up but the conversation had soothed his annoyance.

"Or until he gets pissy about you being here." Danny grinned.

Scott snorted. "That'll happen probably sooner rather than later, no doubt. It's alright though. We've all seen him pissed off before. And he knows how it goes. No matter how bad his attitude is, we're not going anywhere."

Danny nodded, understanding. "Alright then. He's got a bunch of people in his corner. And I'm pretty sure he's going to need every one of us."

Scott shook his head sadly. "Man, it breaks my heart, but I think you're right."


	26. Chapter 26

**Tuesday**

Dr. Paul shook his head in frustration as he pulled the stethoscope away from his ears. "His blood pressure is still too low— _way_ too low. I'm going to push meds in the IV to raise it."

"Alright," Dr. Harper, the respiratory specialist, said in agreement. "His lungs are in trouble. He's having to work hard to breathe. I think we should consider a ventilator, just to take some of the stress off his body."

Dr. Paul frowned. "You really think we're to that point?"

"I do. Something has to give, and soon. We need to keep a close eye on his blood work. I think we're heading toward septic shock."

"Damn it," Dr. Ward said. "I'd really like to operate on his knee by the end of the week. His shoulder isn't quite as urgent, but that knee's a mess. I don't want to wait any longer than necessary. You think he'll be stable enough by, say, Thursday?" Dr. Ward was an award-winning orthopedic surgeon but even he had doubts about repairing the damaged knee.

"Possibly," Dr. Paul said, looking at the sleeping man on the bed. Steve hadn't moved during the exam. "If we can get this infection under control. We may just have to get him as stable as we can and then do the surgery. We're taking a risk on waiting as it is. Look at this though."

Dr. Paul gently pushed aside the hospital gown and blanket to reveal Steve's horribly bruised abdomen.

"Damn," Dr. Ward breathed. "If he doesn't start to show signs of internal bleeding soon, I'll be amazed."

"Me too," Dr. Paul agreed quietly.

* * *

"How's he doin', doc?" Danny asked when Dr. Paul walked into the waiting room. Seeing Steve after being admitted to the hospital had done nothing to ease Danny's worries; in fact, the sight of his partner had only made things worse.

The large group looked at the doctor expectantly. Everyone had stepped out except for Callie during the doctors' exams and now they were expecting an update.

Dr. Paul sighed. "He's…struggling right now. His fever has gone up, which is causing him to feel worse overall. He's exhausted and in a great deal of pain. We're still working against the dehydration and infection, and we're trying to get him stabilized. We're trying to give him enough antibiotics to keep him from going into septic shock, but that's looking more and more likely."

"Septic shock?" Jerry questioned.

"It often follows sepsis if the sepsis can't be treated with antibiotics. Low blood pressure, high temperature, severe chills...It can lead to organ failure, starting with the kidneys. I'm not going to lie to you, things are serious right now. So far, he's showing every symptom except kidney failure. The pneumonia and broken ribs are complicating his breathing." Dr. Paul paused, looking each person in the eyes. "Dr. Ryan—Callie—told me to be completely honest with all of you. She said you could handle it. He's in critical condition and will most likely be put on a vent soon."

Junior turned away from the group as Tani gasped and Lou dropped his head to look at the floor.

"No, no, no," Danny said quietly. "No. He did not make it all the way back from the hell he went through in Colombia to die of an infection here."

"I understand your feelings, Detective Williams, and I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to ensure that's not the case. Commander McGarrett has been assigned a one-on-one nurse, meaning he is her only patient. And," Dr. Paul had to chuckle a bit, "he also has Dr. Ryan who, despite her size, is a bit of a bulldog. She is keeping the staff on their toes. I think the specialists are afraid of her."

That got a smile from the group.

"How is Miss Callie holding up with all this? Is she still okay with us going back a couple at a time to see him?" Lou asked.

"She's strong. She doesn't want him to see that she's worried, but she is, of course. And, yes, I asked her specifically if she wanted me to deny visitors—and I didn't mean anything bad toward any of you by asking—and she was appalled. She told me he— _they_ —needed their ohana now more than ever."

"And that's exactly what they'll get," Lou confirmed, looking at the others who were nodding in agreement.

* * *

"Oh, my God," Lou said softly as he and Renee looked in from the door. An oxygen mask covered Steve's nose and mouth. Tubes of all kinds were everywhere, bags of IV fluids and blood hung by the bed, and countless monitors hummed and beeped, all making sure the Commander was still alive.

The problem, Lou thought, was that Steve didn't look alive at all.

Callie was sitting quietly by the bed, running her fingers through his hair. His head was turned toward her, but his eyes weren't open. Lou didn't know if the man was asleep or awake, but the scene in front of him was breaking his heart. He cast a glance at his wife and saw that she was feeling the same way.

Callie looked up and gave the couple a soft, sad smile. She leaned closer to Steve as Lou and Renee moved closer. "Hey," she said to him quietly, barely above a whisper. "Lou and Renee are here. Can you open your eyes for a minute?"

As Callie talked to Steve, Dinah quietly filled the Grovers in on what to expect. "He's very tired. In the last hour or so, he has gone downhill pretty quickly. He may only stay awake for you for a few minutes. He's medicated almost to the point of being sedated. We'll be switching to the ventilator soon to allow his body to rest and heal. Dr. Ryan wanted to give anyone who wanted to a chance to speak to him before sedating him further for the procedure. He probably won't talk to you—he seems to be reserving the energy needed for that for Dr. Ryan—but, exhausted as he is, he's still very lucid. He's going to understand everything you say."

"Thank you," Renee said. The three watched as Steve opened his eyes, blinking slowly, his gaze completely on Callie.

"There you are," she smiled. "Did you hear me say Lou and Renee are here?" He nodded once. "Okay. I'm going to move now so they can visit with you, but I'll still be here, okay?" Another nod. She squeezed his hand and stood up, smiling and motioning to the Grovers.

Renee took the chair Callie had just left. She picked up Steve's hand and gently rubbed it. "I hear you did really good things over there, Steve. I'm so thankful for you, your SEAL team, and everyone else like you. You just rest now and get better." She patted his arm. "And don't worry a bit about Lou and Danny—I'll keep my thumb on them," she teased with a wink, earning a tiny smile. She squeezed his hand again, standing up. "You've done so much for our family. I don't know where to start. I love you, Steve."

Lou switched places with his wife and sighed deeply. "Oh, man," he said. Steve had closed his eyes and was wearily blinking them open again to focus on his friend. "You are probably the most loyal, most generous, best friend I've ever had. You're gonna make it through this just fine because we need you. You hear me, brother? _We all need you._ Hell, _I_ need you and if somebody would have told me when we first met that I would be saying that one day, I would've punched them in the mouth." He gave a tearful laugh. "No, we didn't get off on the right foot, but we've surely made up for it, haven't we? I don't know, man, maybe it's because I'm getting old, but I just _cry_ these days, you know?" Tears were running down the man's face. "I just, I can't stand seeing you like this, man. But it's all gonna be alright, okay? It's all gonna be alright. You're gonna kick this infection and they'll do the surgeries they need to do and you'll be back to driving Williams crazy in no time." Lou was trying to smile, but couldn't get the tears to stop. "I never thought I'd say it, way back then, but you just mean so much to me, brother. You know that, right? Dammit, I love you, man."

Steve raised his hand slightly, motioning for Lou to come closer. "Love…you…too," he said in a hoarse whisper.

Lou put his head on the bed and cried, while the man who had come to mean so much to him fell asleep again.

* * *

The group in the waiting room rotated through to see Steve quickly. His fever was still climbing. Most of the well-wishers kept it to a quick hug and a few words, noticing how tired Steve was becoming.

Although she felt a bit uncomfortable, Elisabeth took a turn. He seemed to recognize her, and she thanked him for all he had done for her.

Hearts in their throats, the Norths looked at the man they had come to think of as a son and prayed hard for his recovery.

A steady stream of SEALs and HPD continued into the evening.

* * *

Junior knew some of the members of Five-0 (i.e., Danny, Lou, and Tani) had made fun of him when he first showed up on Steve's doorstep. He knew the three of them laughed about him washing Steve's truck in the Palace's parking lot that day. And, yeah, maybe he deserved it. But the truth was, he was just _so desperate_ to get a job with Commander McGarrett that he would've done anything. Sometimes desperation causes people to do crazy things—like wash a truck in a public parking lot without the owner's knowledge or permission.

His BUD/s training had been filled with stories of Commander McGarrett and all his accomplishments. McGarrett was a hero, a living legend of sorts, for the missions he'd gone on and all he had accomplished during his Naval career. Master Chief Lang always said McGarrett was the best. As soon as Junior got back to Hawaii, he went straight to find Commander McGarrett. He didn't even stop to drop off his bag anywhere, and he found himself on the commander's front porch before eight o'clock in the morning. Junior knew he'd caught the man off guard, but he was still nice about everything—even though the answer about a job had been no. He didn't exactly understand why Commander McGarrett insisted that he graduate from the Police Academy, but he wanted that job with Five-0 and the Commander, and if that was what it took to get it then so be it. When Steve gave him the badge last year, he had never been so happy in his life. He was working with his hero, and if the others wanted to laugh, then they could just go ahead. He didn't care.

As he sat in Commander McGarrett's hospital room, listening to his ragged breathing and the beeping of so many monitors, he thought back over his entire relationship with the former SEAL. When Commander McGarrett walked into the homeless shelter that night, Junior had never been so embarrassed. He didn't want Steve to know how much he was struggling. There hadn't been any question in the commander's voice when he told Junior to pack his stuff, that he was coming home with him. There was no room for argument or even discussion. Steve had taken him under his wing but hadn't made a big deal about it to the rest of the team. He gave Junior a place to stay, meals, anything he needed…and wouldn't accept any kind of payment in return. Amazingly, Callie had been completely okay with this whole situation, too. She didn't question Steve's judgement or decision and had shown Junior nothing but kindness. He was blessed to have them both in his life, and he promised himself that he would tell them that even more. He loved them both fiercely.

Junior wasn't talking as he sat by Steve's bed. The commander was sleeping, and that was fine with him. He didn't need conversation. He just needed to be in the man's presence. He was the next to last person left to visit with Steve. Only Danny would be after him.

Callie stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. Junior reached up and put his hands on top of hers.

"You mean a lot to him, Junes," she said quietly. "To both of us."

Junior made a noise in the back of his throat. "I promised you I would have his back…and this happened. I'm sorry, Callie."

"You couldn't have prevented any of this, Junior."

"Still, I—"

"Nope."

"But—"

"Junior. He wouldn't want you thinking like this and I don't either. There was nothing you could have done to stop any of this. You helped get him back, you helped get him home, and I'm grateful. We've got a long road ahead of us, and we've got to focus on that, okay? I'm going to need you. _Steve's_ going to need you. There's no room for second-guessing what happened. Are we clear?"

Junior gave her a shy smile. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"Look, I know you're pretty much out of it," Danny said. Steve's eyes were beginning to glaze over from medication and exhaustion. "And I'm gonna be quick, alright, buddy? Everything's going to be fine. You just worry about you. We've got everything else. We'll take care of everything. You just get better."

Steve whispered something and Danny leaned closer so he could hear. "Say it again, buddy. I missed it."

"Callie."

"You want me to get Callie?"

Steve gave a slight shake of his head. Danny frowned, thinking. "Oh! You mean take care of Callie?"

He gave a single nod.

"Absolutely, brother. You know this ohana has got her. We'll make sure she eats and sleeps and is taken care of, okay? There's nothing for you to worry about. You just get better, you hear me? Just get better."

Danny hugged Steve as tight as he could without hurting him, then rested his hand on top of Steve's head. Not caring what anyone thought—not that Callie or Dinah would even think anything of it—he leaned over and kissed Steve's forehead.

"You just rest and get better. Danno's got you."


	27. Chapter 27

**Tuesday Night**

The SEALs had argued over who would stay the night. Yes, there would be plenty of shifts to go around in the coming weeks, but no one wanted to leave tonight, and everyone wanted to be in that room. Steve's condition felt too precarious, too unstable to the friends and family gathered at the hospital, and no one was comfortable with the thought of leaving. There wasn't a single person who was willing to go home now, not when Steve was so sick. Waiting room catnaps and hospital coffee would do just fine until his condition stabilized a bit more.

Junior sat in a chair in the corner of the hospital room watching over his commanding officer. He was thankful he'd won the argument by default—Callie had asked for him. Junior looked over at the couch where Callie and Danny were both asleep. It was understood that Danny would be staying for the duration. Junior liked to call the two men 'mom and dad' sometimes when they bickered, but it was all in good fun. He was envious of the friendship the partners had. Though they could be at each other's throats sometimes, you wouldn't find two friends closer than the two of them. He admired both men greatly, even if he and Detective Williams didn't always see eye to eye. There was no doubting Danny's loyalty to Steve—Junior had witnessed it firsthand today, even in the way he had been so gentle and caring toward Callie. Danny had encouraged Callie to focus solely on Steve and allow him to run interference and handle everything—and everyone-else. He gave hourly updates to those in the waiting room, took phone calls from the governor and the press, and made sure Callie had everything she could possibly need or want. He was the one who made the dreaded call to Mary, telling her that she should probably make plans to come to Hawaii. He called Chin and Kono and told them the same thing. Hard as it was to think about, Steve was in critical condition. Injuries aside, the sepsis was ravaging his body.

Junior was jarred from his thoughts by a soft moan from the bed. He rose, but stayed where he was, watching and listening for more signs of distress. Steve moaned again and moved his head from side to side on the pillow. Seeing Steve visibly beginning to shiver, Junior quickly went to his bedside. Junior touched the commander's uninjured shoulder. "Sir? Steve?"

Steve opened his eyes lethargically, then closed them again as he continued to grimace and shiver.

"What's wrong?" Junior asked, trying to mask the fear in his voice.

"H-hurts," Steve whispered hoarsely, his voice shaking as his teeth chattered. "'M s-so…c-cold."

"Okay. You just hang on. I'm gonna get someone and we'll fix it, okay?" Junior said as he pressed the call button for the nurse. As he waited on the night nurse, Alicia, to come to the room, he gingerly put a hand to Steve's forehead and was shocked by the heat he felt there.

As Alicia rushed in, Steve's shivering seemed to be getting worse. "Shit," she cursed. "It's rigors. Go to the nurses' station and tell them I need warm blankets—several of them." She moved to the sink and filled a basin with tepid water, grabbing several washcloths. "His fever's at 104.4 and the rigors are going to drive it higher. We have to get it down now."

Junior did as he was told and brought the blankets, then gently touched Callie's arm. "Callie?" he said softly. "Steve needs you."

Callie was instantly awake. "Damn it," she breathed, taking in the sight before her as she stood at the bed. "Why can't he catch a break?"

"I know," Alicia agreed. "I'm trying to get it down, Dr. Ryan, but I'm having to use warm blankets to help the rigors. I'm calling Dr. Harper now too. His lungs sound bad."

Danny looked up anxiously at this. "What does that mean, Callie? It's time for the ventilator?"

Frowning, Callie nodded at Danny.

She slid behind Steve on the bed and pulled him against her, hoping to use her body heat both to warm and comfort him. Steve buried his face against her neck. "Don' feel good, Cal," he whispered, coughing.

"I know," she replied softly, holding him tight. "I know."

* * *

 **Wednesday Morning**

"Danno!" Grace cried as she exited the elevator and rushed into the waiting room.

Danny stood and hugged his daughter tightly to his chest. "Oh, Monkey. I'm so glad you're back. I've missed you."

Grace had been at a cheer camp for the last week.

"How is Uncle Steve?"

"He's…ah," Danny cleared his throat, then started over. "He's pretty banged up, Monkey."

"But he's going to be fine, right? I mean, he's been banged up before…I mean, you had to give him part of your liver after he got shot. He got radiation poisoning from a dirty bomb and he's not letting it stop him…he's working just like he always has, he's running and swimming like always…"

The group watched the interaction with sympathy in their eyes.

"Grace, let's go sit down," Danny said, leading her to a pair of chairs in the corner.

Danny sighed and took Grace's hands in his own. "Grace…Uncle Steve went through a lot in Colombia. He has a lot of physical injuries, but he also has a major infection…something called sepsis. He's running a really high fever and feels pretty awful right now. He has pneumonia and an upper respiratory infection, which is just a fancy way of saying a really bad cold, I think, but he's really sick, Monkey. This infection, though, it's causing his organs to shut down. They…they decided to put him on a ventilator last night to take some of the stress off his lungs and allow him to rest."

The shock was evident on Grace's face. "Danno? Is he dying?"

"Monkey, he's fighting hard, but he has a long road ahead of him. They've got to get this infection under control, then he's facing several surgeries that are going to require a lot of physical therapy. He isn't going to be…himself…for a long time. His knee is just busted, Grace. He may never swim or run like he did before all this happened."

"Is he in a coma?"

"What?"

"Because of the ventilator. Did they put him into a medically induced coma or whatever? Or was he already in a coma?"

"No. They're keeping him on a bunch of sedatives to keep him comfortable, but he's not in a coma. He sleeps a lot, but when he's awake he knows what's going on around him and will listen. He responds sometimes. He can't talk, of course, but he'll write or shake his head or nod."

"Okay. I want to see him."

Danny flinched. He had known this was coming, but knew his daughter was not going to like his answer. "Grace, honey, I don't know…"

"Danno, I can handle it. I'm not a kid anymore. I understand everything that you said. I understand he's on a ventilator, I know he's sick, and I know he's going to look bad. It doesn't scare me. It's my Uncle Steve, Danno."

Grace's eyes were wide, honest, and had that puppy dog look that both she and his partner could do so well. He couldn't resist either one of them when they gave him that look.

"I still don't know, Grace. Callie's with him right now and I'm not sure if it's a good time...I don't know what she'll think about it."

"Can I talk to Aunt Callie then and see what she thinks? I'll do whatever she says would be best."

"That sounds like a good idea, Monkey. Let me get her."

* * *

Grace stood and hugged Callie as she came into the waiting room. Grace was already taller than Callie by a few inches, and this made Danny smile. Callie was tiny compared to Steve but seeing her with Grace reminded him that she was tiny compared to everyone. She was wearing a simple black t-shirt dress and pink Converses. Her long brown hair was in a loose side braid, and her face was free of makeup except for mascara and lip gloss. You could easily mistake her for a college student, Danny thought to himself.

"Hey, sweetie," Callie said as she returned Grace's hug.

"Aunt Callie," Grace said, clinging to the woman. "I hate this so much. It's not fair. He's been through too much already and now this."

Callie nodded in agreement. "I know. Your dad says you're wanting to see your Uncle Steve?" Her tone was neutral, leaving room for the girl to talk.

Grace led Callie to the chairs and sat down, still holding her hand as she faced her and began to speak. "I really do. I know it's going to be…hard to see him that way, but I want him to know I'm here. I understand everything Danno said. I know Uncle Steve is sick and hurting. I don't have to stay long….I just want him to know I'm here," she said again, shrugging her shoulders and looking at Callie hopefully. "I can handle it, I promise."

Callie nodded thoughtfully. "I know you can."

* * *

"Do you think Steve'll be okay with her seeing him like this?" Danny asked Callie quietly as they followed Grace to the hospital room.

Callie gave Danny a sad smile. "He's not really in a place where he's going to know, Danny. He's in and out so much." She stopped and put a hand on Danny's arm. "This may be the most conscious he's going to be for a while. I want her to have the chance to talk to him while he's at least somewhat coherent. I'm not going to deny her that."

* * *

Grace walked into the room and stopped in the doorway to take everything in. It was quiet and dark, the beeping of the machines low and constant. It was strange to see Steve, who was always moving, lying motionless in the bed.

Scott stood up from the chair he was occupying by the bed and smiled at Grace, giving her a quick side hug as she approached. "Talked Danno and Callie into it, huh, kid?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. Sit here, sweetheart. He has been asleep for a while, so he'll probably wake up soon. Talk to him."

Scott put a hand on her shoulder briefly, then moved to give her more space.

Grace sat down. She rubbed Steve's arm and then held his hand. "Hey, Uncle Steve," she said softly. "It's Gracie. I'm here." She lifted his hand and kissed the back of it.

Steve's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey!" Grace said with quiet excitement. He squeezed her hand weakly. His eyes slid shut again and remained that way for a minute before he forced them open again.

"It's okay," Grace told him. "You don't have to stay awake for me."

He shook his head slightly and motioned for the legal pad on the bedside table. She held the paper for him while he wrote with a marker— _Awake. Eyes won't._ He blindly handed the marker back to Grace as his eyes closed.

"Eyes won't stay open?" Grace inferred, smiling as she met Callie's eyes. Callie gave a tiny smile as well and moved to place a tender kiss on Steve's forehead. He opened his eyes for a second to gaze up at her and the trust and love Grace saw between the two of them made her melt a little.

"It's okay, babe," Callie smoothed her hand through his hair.

Steve nodded listlessly.

"So," Grace said, rubbing Steve's arm again. "Danno says you'll be out of here by the holidays. And I'll have a month off for Christmas break. I bet Callie will need to go back to work some by then. I can keep you company. We can eat pancakes and lounge around and watch Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel all day."

Steve managed to open his eyes long enough to roll them and Grace grinned.


	28. Chapter 28

Danny woke up to the phone ringing early on Sunday morning. He had spent the last week at the hospital but had gone home on Saturday morning at Callie's insistence. Nothing had changed with Steve. He was still on the ventilator and under the effects of the sedative. He had been sleeping a lot. Danny could tell he was weary and tired of feeling bad, and Steve was communicating less as the days went on. So when Callie encouraged him to go home, spend some time with Grace and Charlie, eat dinner somewhere other than the hospital cafeteria, and sleep in his own bed, he reluctantly agreed. Truthfully, it had done him a world of good. He hoped he'd be able to convince Callie to do the same soon. He doubted it, but he'd try.

"'Lo?" he answered groggily, still feeling half asleep.

The hoarse voice he heard on the other end of the line woke him up immediately. "Danno."

Danny's eyes flew open as he sat up in bed. "Steve!"

Steve laughed softly at Danny's surprise.

"You're not on the ventilator anymore?"

"Turned the corner, Danno."

"I hear that! That's great, man. Just…that's great."

"Mmhm. Throat hurts though. Gonna let you talk to Cal now."

"Alright. Babe, listen. I'm so glad to hear your voice again, man. I'll see you in just a little while, okay? I'm gonna grab a quick shower and then head that way."

"Kay, Danno."

A few seconds later, Callie came on the line.

"Hey, Danny." He could hear the relief in her voice.

"Callie, I leave for one night and all the exciting stuff happens. So no more vent?"

"Nope. He came off of it early this morning—around five or so. His fever is down to just a little over 99. The antibiotics are doing their job."

"That's awesome, Callie. I can't believe it."

"Me either. It was a quick turnaround after struggling for so long. His color's so much better, Danny. You won't believe it."

"I told him I'd be there soon. What are they doing about the surgeries?"

"The ortho specialist wants to do his knee in the morning. He's going to give Steve today to rest and get a little stronger."

"Does he still have the NG tube or can he have one of those nasty good-for-you smoothies he likes so much?"

"The NG tube is gone for now. I'm sure he'd love a smoothie, especially considering how much his throat is hurting. He doesn't need to eat anything really heavy, because you know how tomorrow is going to go, but a smoothie would be good, I think."

Surgery was never easy on Steve. His body just didn't react well to anesthesia…ever. His blood pressure always dropped too low, he never woke up easily, and the medications wreaked havoc on his already not-so-great stomach.

"Ah, yes," Danny said lightly. "The hours of vomiting we're going to be treated to."

"Danny," Callie scolded.

"I'm just kidding, Callie! I know he can't help it, and it's not like it's easy on him either. And you know I'm going to be there for him."

"I know. You've dealt with this before."

"What, you mean a puking, emotional McGarrett high on pain meds? Yes, I've been here before a time or two."

Callie laughed. "You're a good friend. I hope he's returned the favor."

"Nah, never. I'm of an iron constitution, you know. I still hold a very long, very impressive record."

"Oh, I see," Callie giggled.

"I'm like the anti-McGarrett when it comes to stomach issues. Not that anyone would believe how often he pukes."

"Yeah, probably not. Kind of ruins that bad ass Navy SEAL image."

"So true. Alright, so smoothie, soup from that deli he likes so much…easy on the stomach stuff."

"Sounds good. I'll see you in a bit."

"Well isn't this a sight for sore eyes!" Lou exclaimed as he walked into the hospital room. Steve was sitting up in bed drinking a smoothie. Callie was perched on the end of the bed, Danny was in a nearby chair, and Jay was reclining on the couch.

"You up for a little more company?" Lou asked.

"Sure," Steve said hoarsely.

"Man, you scared us," Lou continued, putting his hand on Steve's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're doing better."

"You know he's not out of the woods yet, right?" Danny countered dryly.

"You, sir, are just a ray of sunshine," Lou said, making a face at Danny.

"Just being truthful. He's still sick as hell. He's barely off the ventilator and he's having surgery tomorrow."

Steve rolled his eyes as he coughed lightly. "It's just Danny's nature, Lou. He can't help it."

As the afternoon progressed, the rest of the team gathered in Steve's room. Callie kept a close eye on Steve. He was smiling slightly at whatever story Jerry was telling but was looking a bit worn. She caught Danny's eye across the room and he nodded.

"Okay," Danny said, standing and clapping his hands once. "Everybody out. Our flower here is wilting. Tomorrow's going to be a long day and it's going to start early."

"I hear ya," Flippa said, standing up.

"I'll see you tomorrow, boss," Tani said, leaning down and kissing Steve softly on the cheek.

"And I'm planning to be here before you go into surgery," Junior said.

"You don't have to do that," Steve said, his eyes drifting closed.

"I want to, sir," Junior insisted. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

With well-wishes and hugs, the group left and it was back to only Callie, Danny, Jay, and Steve.

 **Monday**

"So here's what we're going to do," Dr. Ward said early on Monday morning. He put the x-rays showing Steve's shattered patella up on the screen. "I'm going to go in and use pins and wire to pull your patella back together and stabilize it. The damage to the ligaments and tendons is pretty severe, but we're going to do our best to get everything back in working order. Once I close up, you'll be in a brace until the swelling goes down, then I'll put you in a full leg cast."

"How long?" Steve asked.

"I'm going to say eight to ten weeks. After that you'll be in a brace that goes from your thigh to your calf. It'll be hinged at the knee so we can adjust the angle and increase mobility over time." Dr. Ward sighed. "I'm not in the business of telling patients lies, Commander. You're in for a long recovery."

Steve nodded once, then closed his eyes. He was done with the conversation.

"It'll be okay, Steve," Callie said quietly, touching his arm. "I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but it's going to be okay."

"And my shoulder?" Steve questioned Dr. Ward.

"The last MRI of your shoulder looked much better than we originally thought. Now that the swelling has gone down, I can see the torn ligament a little better. It looks like it's not a complete tear, and that means it can heal on its own if given the right amount of rest and time. The only issue I see with that is the fact that you'll have to use crutches for an extended period of time, which could put more stress on that shoulder. Right now, I think we'll just watch it and hope for the best. You won't be moving while you're in the hospital anyway, so it's possible it will have enough time to heal before you're released."

"That's good news," Callie said, secretly thinking that if Steve had to have the shoulder surgery, it would have meant telling him he would be going home with a wheelchair—and that was a conversation she had _not_ been looking forward to.

"It is," Dr. Ward agreed. "The concussion is still present, but the CT scan from last night shows no new bleeds or swelling of the brain. I feel that it's safe to do the surgery now, but I can assure you," he looked pointedly at Callie, "that we'll be very cautious and conservative with the anesthesia. I understand from your chart that you typically have trouble with anesthesia anyway."

"Yeah," Steve mumbled. "Not looking forward to that."

Dr. Ward touched his shoulder. "I understand completely. Some people are just more sensitive to it than others. Okay, before the nurses start prepping you and I scrub in, do you have any questions for me?"

"No, I don't think so," Steve said. "Thank you for all you're doing."

Dr. Ward nodded and the men shook hands before he turned to Callie. "It's going to be a long surgery—probably around three hours or so. I'll have someone update you every hour. When he's in recovery, I'll come meet with you."

"Sounds great. Thank you."

"Sure thing," Dr. Ward replied as he walked toward the door. "Not to boast, but I'm good at my job, Steve, and I take a lot of pride in it. It's my goal to have you running and swimming just as well as before. Maybe a little better." He winked as he walked out.

Callie stayed with Steve until the last possible minute, even going as far as to walk to the OR door. She kissed him gently, then smiled. "See you soon, Commander."

She joined Junior and Danny in the waiting room and pulled her laptop from her bag, planning to check her email and take care of a few things for work. After a few minutes, however, it was obvious to her that she wouldn't be able to concentrate until she was back with Steve and could see for herself that he was fine.

She sighed. "Not gonna be able to work?" Danny said.

"Nope. Can't concentrate on anything right now."

"Me either. Wanna watch a movie?"

Callie nodded and moved to sit beside Danny on the couch. She patted the cushion beside of her and motioned for Junior to join them as Danny got his laptop ready and placed it on the coffee table.

"I think a comedy is the ticket today," Danny said, starting the movie.

They watched in silence for a few minutes before Callie looped her arms through theirs, one man on each side. "Thanks for being here, guys."

Danny kissed the top of her head. "We wouldn't even think of being anywhere else, would we, Junior?"

"No, sir," Junior replied, smiling at Callie. "Right here's where we need to be."

As Dr. Ward had promised, the surgery was long. When he came into the now-full waiting room to speak with Callie, he looked tired but pleased.

"It went well," he said to the group. "We still have a long way to go to get to a full recovery, but the first step is done. He's in recovery now and should be back in his room in a couple of hours. It's going to be a little longer than usual because he's having some trouble waking up, but that was expected. We're going to give him some time and take it slow. Dr. Ryan, your privileges here come in handy at times like these." He smiled. "You're welcome to come with me back to recovery if you'd like."

"Absolutely," Callie said, rising from her spot on the couch.

"Give him a hug for me and tell him we love him and we'll see him soon," Sally said, squeezing Jack's hand.

The waiting room hummed in agreement with Sally.

"I will," Callie said with a grin.

"Hi, Dr. Ryan," an older woman said as Callie entered the curtained space where Steve was. The woman smiled kindly. "I'm Sandra. I've been sitting with the Commander since he came out of surgery."

"It's nice to know he's being take care of so well," Callie said, returning Sandra's smile. "How is he doing?"

"He's still very sleepy, but his vitals are holding steady. He hasn't been able to stay awake for more than a minute at a time."

"What was his temperature the last time you took it?"

"99.6. I'm keeping a close eye on it, Dr. Ryan. Dr. Ward is nervous about the Commander coming down with any kind of illness or infection."

Callie gave a quick nod. "Yes, the immunosuppressants he takes because of the liver transplant make him more susceptible." She sat beside the bed and began to rub his arm lightly.

"He has been through a lot," Sandra mused. "He has radiation sickness too?"

Callie smiled sadly. "He does. From a dirty bomb."

"And he still keeps giving."

"Yeah," she said softly. "He does. It's who he is."

Still asleep, Steve coughed and winced. He coughed again and opened his eyes, gagging.

"Oh sweetie," Callie said, grabbing a basin from the bedside table. "It's okay." She rubbed his back, helping him sit up. He looked at her pitifully, paling, before being sick. "Babe, I'm so sorry. This is an awful way to wake up."

"Mmhm," Steve whimpered.

"Do you think you're finished now?" she asked gently.

"Mmhm."

"Okay." Sandra handed her a cool cloth and Callie gently smoothed it across his forehead.

"Commander, would you like a few ice chips?" Sandra asked. "I'm sure your throat is hurting."

Steve gave a slight nod. He reached toward the cup with a shaky hand.

"No, sweetie, let me help you," Sandra said kindly. She had abandoned protocol and rank in an effort to provide comfort. The man in front of her reminded her of her own son. She spooned a few into his mouth and he closed his eyes. "That's it. Just rest."


	29. Chapter 29

Steve drifted off to sleep again despite Callie and Sandra's efforts to keep him awake.

Callie shook his arm gently. "Steve, we need you to stay awake, okay?"

Struggling to open his eyes, Steve sleepily gazed at Callie for a few seconds. Callie watched the blue eyes disappear as he lost the battle and his eyes fluttered shut again. Smiling at the soft noises he made in his sleep, she gently ran her fingers through his dark hair as she gazed at his face, taking in the long eyelashes that fanned over pale skin. He had lost weight in Colombia and days that followed. His jaw was more defined, his features a little more angular than when he'd left.

Gosh, he was handsome though. People were constantly mentioning how beautiful their babies would be, and she had to agree—not because of herself, she was too modest and humble than to assume it was her, but because of Steve.

She hoped they would get the chance to prove those people right. The radiation sickness was an issue. They didn't know exactly how much the radiation sickness would affect Steve's fertility. Neither one of them really _wanted_ to know yet, to be honest. In addition to the fertility concerns, from the few conversations they'd had about children, she knew the possibility of developing cancer also concerned Steve. Without knowing what he'd been through, Steve looked like the picture of health. Fit and strong, he didn't appear to be sickly or weak, but there were days when she knew he struggled to get out of bed. He wouldn't admit it, but Callie and the team knew. No one mentioned it when he came in late, looking exhausted and nauseous. Without talking about it, Junior, Tani, and Lou would offer to go to crime scenes or interview witnesses, giving Steve the chance to stay in the office and rest and leaving Danny in charge of looking after their leader. Sometimes Lou would think he was lucky for getting to chase and deal with frustrating perps than deal with a sick and ornery McGarrett.

Truthfully, though, Danny didn't see it that way. Although he liked to complain when the others left the office about how he'd drawn the short straw, he knew he wouldn't have been able to leave his partner in the care of anyone else. It was something of an honor to be able to show care and help to someone who had helped so many others, including Danny himself.

At home, Callie would wordlessly step in when she knew he wasn't feeling well. She would make the call to Danny when it was impossible for Steve to work, then take the day off herself to be able to stay with and care for him. She would lie in bed with him and hold him while he shivered with fever, massage his aching muscles and joints, and steady him as he was sick. Callie would murmur gently and provide as much comfort as she could.

Junior hated days when the commander was too sick to get out of bed. It made the radiation sickness real and that scared Junior. The first couple of times it happened after he moved in with Steve, he didn't know what he was supposed to do or what his role was supposed to be. Over time, though, he realized he could help out in simple ways. Junior would take care of anything that needed to be done—taking out the garbage, cooking, cleaning, taking Beau for walks. He kept the house quiet like it was his personal mission, monitoring visitors and phone calls and often frustrating Danny with his watchdog persona. Later, when Steve felt well enough to go downstairs, Junior would be in charge of finding a show on Netflix or Hulu the three of them could binge watch. Well, a show he and Callie could watch while Steve lay with his head in Callie's lap and napped.

Callie smiled down at the sleeping commander as she thought about the ohana they shared. She was thankful for each of those people, not only for the way they took care of Steve, but for the deep sense of family they provided.

Regretfully, she knew she needed to wake him up again. She gently rubbed his arm and called his name.

Unsuccessful, her gentle rubbing turned to more of a shaking.

"Stop…that," Steve whined. "'M tired."

Callie smiled at Sandra and winked. "Ever heard a Navy SEAL whine like that?"

To Steve she said, "You're ruining the SEAL image for Sandra, Commander."

"Don' care," he whined again. "I don' feel good. Lemme sleep." He turned his face away from Callie, trying to go back to sleep.

"I know you don't feel good," Callie said as she soothingly rubbed his face. "But we need to get you out of recovery, and the only way to do that is to show these nice people that you're going to be able to wake up and stay awake. Okay? As soon as you're back in your room, you can sleep all you want."

"Lyin'. Danno'll be there. He's too loud."

Callie and Sandra both laughed softly. "I'll take care of Danno," Callie said.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Sandra smiled as she surveyed the full waiting room. Her patient was obviously well-loved.

"Dr. Ryan asked me to give you all an update so you wouldn't worry while you wait," Sandra said to the group. "I've been taking care of Commander McGarrett in recovery. He's doing just fine. He's still having a little trouble waking up and actually staying awake." She smiled as she thought about him. "I think he would like us to leave him alone and just let him sleep. He isn't very happy with the two of us right now." The older woman gave a soft chuckle. "That's why I volunteered to come update you and left Dr. Ryan to deal with him. He's a bit grumpy at the moment."

"What?" Danny said, feigning surprise. "Grumpy? Not our McGarrett!"

Sandra chuckled. "I'm afraid so."

Danny laughed, then turned serious. "But he's doing okay? His breathing and everything?"

"He is," Sandra replied with a smile. "We're keeping a close watch on his breathing, but everything is okay so far."

"I'm guessing he's sick because of the anesthesia?"

"He is, poor thing. Dr. Ryan said they expected it, but it's still awful to be that nauseous, especially when there's nothing on your stomach."

Lou grimaced. "Yeah. I bet so."

"I hate that for him," Danny said, shaking his head.

"I do too," Sandra agreed. Then she winked. "Dr. Ryan is taking good care of him though."

"I bet she is," Danny grinned. "He's lucky to have her."

"They certainly are a pair, aren't they?" Sandra said. "He should be in a room soon, and you'll be able to see him then." She surveyed the room and took in the number of people there. "Only for a few minutes each, I'm afraid. He has been through a lot, as you know, and the surgery has taken a lot out of him. He needs his rest."

The group nodded.

"Thank you for updating us, ma'am," Junior told Sandra with a smile. "And thank you for taking care of the commander."

"Oh, you're welcome, sweetie. It has been my pleasure."

While Sandra was updating the crowd in the waiting room, Callie was busy caring for a sick and miserable Steve. She smoothed a cool cloth across his forehead. Blue eyes opened and looked at her.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Feels good."

"You're welcome," Callie replied softly. "How are you feeling?"

Steve grimaced. "Nauseous still."

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

Steve shook his head a tiny bit. "Just…stay?"

"Always."

She took his hand in hers. "They're going to move you to a room soon. I'll have to start sharing you again." She smiled at him. "It has been nice to have you to myself for a little while." She kissed his forehead and he turned his head slightly toward her, feeling safe and secure in her care.

"Hey, babe," Danny said quietly as he was finally allowed into the hospital room. He took a minute to survey his partner. Steve looked tired and weary, even paler than he was before the surgery, but he gave Danny a faint smile.

"Danno."

"Buddy, you're looking a little rough."

"Pretty sure I feel even worse than I look," Steve rasped.

Danny moved to sit by the bed. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." Steve grimaced as he shifted, trying in vain to get more comfortable.

Danny frowned. "Hurting, babe?"

"Mm." Steve had closed his eyes tightly, pain evident on his face.

Danny looked at Callie, who was already pressing the call button for the nurse.

"There's a waiting room full of people wanting to see you, babe. You feel up to it?"

Steve gave a slight shake of his head. "Not now."

Danny was a bit surprised. "Okay. You're in charge. Is it okay that I'm here? I didn't really think about asking but-"

"'S fine, Danno. Just…you and Cal for now, okay?"

"Got it."

The nurse came in and checked Steve's vitals, then gave him the pain medication Callie had requested. Callie and Danny watched, thankful, as Steve's face relaxed as the medication entered his system. Eyes still closed, Steve gave a soft sigh.

"Feel better, babe?"

"Mm."

"That's good. I'm going to go tell the others you're doing okay, alright? Then I'll be back. Just me, nobody else."

"'M sorry." Steve looked at him, and, strangely, Danny couldn't read the look in his eyes. "I…don't feel good right now. Not good enough…to act like 'm okay."

Danny shared a look with Callie. Steve typically insisted he was fine, no matter the extent of his injuries. For him to admit he didn't want to see anyone else was…disconcerting to say the least.

"It's fine, Steve. Don't apologize."

Danny watched his friend sleep, wondering what injuries lay beneath the surface.

Steve awoke with a gasp, jarred out of sleep by a nightmare. Under Danny's watchful eye, Steve tried to gain control of his breathing and heart rate.

"Another nightmare?" Danny asked quietly. Since Steve had woke up from surgery, the headache from his concussion had worsened.

Steve pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead. "Yeah," he muttered.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No."

Danny huffed. _Typical_ , he thought. "Fine."

Steve sighed.

"Look, I know you went through hell—"

Suddenly there was a fire in Steve's eyes that Danny hadn't expected. "You don't know _anything_ , Danny."

"Yeah, because you _won't talk to me._ I wasn't there, Steve! Do you know how hard it was for me to stay here, knowing you had been taken and God only knows what was happening to you?"

Steve's eyes flashed. "You want to know what happened, Danny? I got the hell beat out of me. They used a metal pipe on my knee. I was pumped full of all sorts of shit to maximize the pain. I was waterboarded. _People paid to get a shot at me, Danny!_ And it went on for hours. They didn't let me sleep. I—I can't sleep now because every time I fall asleep I'm back there and I'm terrified, Danno." Steve's tirade was interrupted by harsh coughing.

Steve groaned. "Damn it, that hurts." The pain seemed to take the anger out of him, leaving behind only angst.

"I—I'm not who I was anymore, Danno. I've changed. Leading Five-0, our ohana, Gracie, Callie, _you_ …it's all changed me." His voice broke. "I've been tortured before, Danny…more times than I care to remember. When I was with the teams, Wo Fat…It's happened before, you know? But this time—this time I couldn't get away from it. I couldn't put up that wall, couldn't go somewhere else in my mind…I was just _there_ , you know?" Danny could see tears in his partner's eyes as his voice dropped to a whisper. "I felt everything this time. And now—now I can't forget it. I can't stop hearing, can't stop seeing, can't—can't—"

Danny was afraid Steve was going to hyperventilate. He quickly dropped the railing and eased onto the bed, sitting beside his best friend and wrapping him in a hug.

"C'mere. C'mere, babe." Danny's hand went to the back of Steve's head. He pulled him closer and Steve buried his face in Danny's shoulder.

"It hurt, Danno," Steve choked. "It still hurts."

"I'm so sorry, Steve. I'm so sorry. It's gonna be okay. Alright? It's gonna be okay. I'm here, we're all here. You made it out, babe, and you're not alone. You hear me? You don't have to go through any of this—the physical recovery, the nightmares, everything—by yourself. We're here. Let us be here, okay? Let us do the heavy lifting, okay? We've got you, babe. We've got you."

Steve was sobbing into Danny's shoulder now. His sobs were silent but Danny could feel his shoulders heaving and the tears that were soaking into his shirt.

Callie had watched the exchange from the corner of the room, her heart breaking. She knew Steve had been tortured but listening to how broken he sounded was almost too much. Tears rolling down her face, she went to the other side of the bed and crawled in.

Wrapped in the arms of the two people he loved the most, Steve McGarrett allowed himself to fall apart.


	30. Chapter 30

Steve had fallen asleep cradled tightly between the two. Danny looked at Callie over Steve's head, tears pooling in his eyes. "Damn. That was hard."

Callie nodded, biting her lip. "I've never seen him cry like that. At all, really…"

"He'll be okay. It's going to take a while, but he'll be okay. Hell, he always is, right?" Danny gave a tearful laugh. "I haven't seen a thing yet that's been able to stop him."

Callie wiped at her tears and smiled back at Danny. "You're right, Danny."

"We're gonna be there every step of the way, too. We're gonna see him through this. He's going to be just fine. With the two of us, how could he not be, right? I don't know if you've noticed, but you and I, we're kind of cut from the same cloth."

From between them, a hoarse voice whispered, "'S why I love you both."

* * *

"Hey, guys," Danny said as he walked into the waiting room. He smiled tiredly at the number of people still waiting. "So. Steve's doing okay. He's still really sleepy and in some pain, but that's to be expected. They're staying on top of it. They're monitoring his temperature and breathing closely, but so far, so good." Danny took a deep breath. "I know you've all been here all day, and he appreciates all that, but he wants to hold off on visitors for a while. He has been through a lot, he's not feeling good, he's tired…" Danny trailed off, feeling bad that he was telling others they couldn't see Steve when he himself couldn't wait to get back.

Heads nodded around the room.

"I don't know how long he's going to want to wait," Danny said apologetically. "You're welcome to go get something to eat or go home or do something other than waiting here. I can call you when he's feeling better."

"Nobody has a problem with us staying here, though, right? In this room?" Jay asked.

"No, no problem at all," Danny quickly replied. "The staff's been great. This room is ours as long as he's here." Given Steve's position as head of Five-0 and how many people had been at the hospital since he was admitted, the staff had arranged for a private waiting room.

"And Steve won't mind, you think?"

"I don't see why he would."

"Alright, then." Jay settled back into his chair, stretched his legs out in front of him, crossed his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, apparently settling in for the long haul. "I'm good here then."

The rest of the SEALs nodded in agreement.

"Oh, well, if they're stayin', I'm stayin'," Lou said. "You SEALs ain't got nothin' on me."

The room laughed.

"I wouldn't leave my boy anyway. I'll wait as long as he needs me to wait. Can't leave this hospital without talking to him."

"Same here," echoed most of the crowd.

"Alright," Danny said, smiling and shaking his head. "I thought that's how it would be anyway."

"He's like a brother to me, man," Lou commented, looking at the floor. "Arrogant pain in the ass that he is." Lou grinned. "Can't help but love 'im."

* * *

"Hey, babe," Danny said quietly as he entered the room. Steve's head was turned toward the door. He blearily focused on Danny. "You're awake."

"Mm," Steve hummed, but made no effort to speak. Danny approached the bed and picked up Steve's hand carefully.

"You doing okay?"

Steve gave a tiny nod, then closed his eyes again.

"They've upped the antiemetics," Callie said softly. "He was sick again while you were gone. Hopefully they'll work. He has to have a break and get some real rest soon. It's wearing on him."

Steve had slept for around twenty minutes before he mumbled something in his sleep and began to move restlessly. The monitor picked up on the increase in heart rate almost immediately. Face lined with pain, he tossed his head back and forth on the pillow and moaned, clearly distressed.

"He needs a break from that shit, too," Danny muttered, getting up to stand beside the bed. He laid a gentle but firm hand on his partner's shoulder and gave a light shake. "Hey, buddy, you need to wake up….Wake up, Steve."

Steve woke suddenly, eyes wide and chest heaving, gasping for air.

"We're here, Steve," Danny said as he grabbed Steve's hand, hoping to ground him. "We're here and you're okay. We've got you; you're safe, babe."

As Danny spoke comforting words, Callie ran her hand through Steve's hair and wasn't surprised to find it damp with sweat. Whatever he was dreaming about, it must have been terrible.

Steve's heartrate had come down slightly, but his breathing was still labored. "Can't breathe," he gasped. He clawed at his chest without thinking. "Too…tight."

"Look at me, Steve," Callie spoke to him calmly as she placed the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. "Focus on me. You can breathe. There's not a physical reason why you can't. You're panicking and you've got to stop. Breathe with me. In…out…that's it, sweetheart, now again…and again…there you go. Now let's get that heartrate down. Focus. Use your combat breathing…That's it, babe."

A nurse came to the door. "Dr. Ryan? Is everything okay?"

Callie had moved to sit on the bed behind Steve, allowing him to lean against her. She held the oxygen mask against his face while the other arm was wrapped tightly around him.

"Everything's okay," Callie answered with a sad smile. "Nightmare."

The nurse nodded sympathetically. She moved into the room and patted Steve's leg. "Anything I can get for you?"

"No," Steve whispered.

"Pain okay?"

"'S fine."

She patted his leg again. "Alright. Call me if you need something."

* * *

"I'm sorry," Steve said hoarsely to Danny and Callie after the nurse left.

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for, babe? Not a thing that I can see." Danny said lightly, hoping to make the mood in the room a little brighter.

"I'm a mess, Danno. Can't get it together." Steve's eyes were full of emotion….fear, worry, pain, and so many other things Danny never wanted to see in his partner's eyes again. Steve had been through so much— _too much_ —in the years Danny had known him. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. For a man who gave and gave to others, it certainly seemed that the world only took from him.

"Oh, Steve." Callie kissed the top of his head.

Danny patted his shoulder. "You don't have to have it all together right now, Steve. Nobody expects you to. Hell, if this had happened to any of the rest of us…first of all, we probably wouldn't have made it out alive, but if we did, we'd still be rocking in a corner somewhere. Nobody has the right judge you and, I swear Steve, no one _is_ judging you. You're in pain and sick and what you went through was _hard_ , babe. You don't have to pretend with me. _Ever._ Cry if you need to. Scream. Talk, don't talk, whatever. I'm here. _I'm here._ Okay? And that girl you've somehow conned into marrying you? She's amazing, and she's here too. Together, Callie and I, we've got this, babe. I promise—we can handle anything you throw at us. Just trust us."

Steve nodded.

"What?" Danny clutched at his chest in dramatic feigned surprise. "That may be the easiest agreement I've ever gotten from you."

"Thanks, Danno," Steve whispered. "I'm so tired…"

"Then sleep, babe. We'll be here."


	31. Chapter 31

_The room was dark. When the door opened and light flooded the space suddenly, Steve held a hand up to block it, unable to stop the painful moan that escaped him. Felipe Ines and two of his men entered the small room._

" _Commander," Ines sneered with a sadistic smile. "It's good to see you awake. Our guests will be glad to hear of this too. You were of little to interest to them while you remained unconscious."_

 _Steve glared at Ines but refused to respond._

 _Ines nodded to his men and they hauled Steve to his feet. His head swam from the concussion he'd already suffered. He gagged harshly but had nothing in his stomach to vomit. The retching caused the wound in his abdomen to come alive with fiery pain._

 _He was dragged to a room at the end of a long hallway._ _ **Concrete, no windows**_ _, he noticed dully. He felt sluggish. Whatever they kept injecting him with was powerful. He slowly turned his head to take in more of the room._

 _Rows of chairs had been arranged around an open area in the middle, almost like a small arena of sorts. There were shackles attached to the ceiling in the center of the open area._

" _Go on, Commander," Ines said, pushing Steve from behind. "You're the—how you say?—_ _ **m**_ _ain event_."

 _The men pulled him forward. He weakly tried to pull away, but the concussion and stab wound caused the effort to be in vain. He was taken roughly moved to the center, hands shackled above his head. His toes touched the ground, but nothing more._

 _The room filled slowly. Familiar faces from Steve's past came into view. The hate and evil excitement that filled the room was palpable._

 _The bidding began then. Ines welcomed the group as if he were some sort of insane auctioneer in charge of a livestock sale. He called out a beginning bid of an astronomically high number. It was taken, then immediately countered with a higher offer. Steve choked back a sob as he realized the hate these men felt for him, and what they would do to him in exchange for exorbitant amounts of money._

 _The winner of the first round focused on Steve's head and face with his fist. When his five minutes were up, the bidding began all over again. And so it went for hours. He was injected with serums that caused his body to feel as if it were on fire, serums that caused hallucinations so real he wept from fear, serums that made his heart pound and kept him painfully conscious._

 _He screamed until his voice was hoarse and nearly nonexistent. He cried out for mercy, for help, for someone to save him from what surely would be his death—_

Steve awoke with a heaving sob, heart racing and head pounding, struggling to open his eyes and get away from the nightmare. He moved to clutch his head, forgetting the cast on his arm and not thinking about his knee as he tried to curl into a fetal position. He stuffed his good hand in his mouth to stop himself from crying out. He was in agony. The dream was too much, remembering was too much, the physical pain was _too much._ He choked as nausea rolled over him in waves. He realized he was going to throw up but had no energy to reach for the basin on the bedside table.

"Danny!" Callie exclaimed, waking from a nap and realizing at once what was happening. She scrambled to Steve's side.

Instantly awake and alert, Danny grabbed for a towel and passed it to Callie. She slid the towel under Steve's chin to catch the small amount of bile he threw up.

Danny's heart twisted in his chest as he realized Steve was so sick and in such pain that he couldn't even raise his head to be sick in the basin. After wetting a washcloth at the sink, Danny mopped his partner's forehead.

"I'm sorry," Steve whispered hoarsely. "I didn't—I couldn't—"

"Shh," Callie said, smoothing her hand along the side of his face. She smiled at him. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

"I threw up. I—I'm sorry."

"Steve," Danny said softly. "Steve."

Steve's eyes were full of embarrassment. "I couldn't even…I'm so sorry," he whispered, not looking at Danny or Callie.

"Hey," Danny said, trying to make his partner more comfortable. "We told you—it's no big deal, babe. Right, Callie?"

"Right," Callie said, rubbing his arm in reassurance.

Steve closed his eyes and leaned into Callie's arms. He took a deep breath and shuddered. "Nightmare."

Callie and Danny exchanged a look but remained quiet.

"Every time I fall asleep I'm back there," Steve said hoarsely. "I can't get away from it, and I can't get away from the pain." He swallowed hard. "I'm—I'm not doing so well."

"What can we do to help, babe?" Danny asked. His voice was still much quieter than normal. He knew Steve needed gentle and soothing help and reassurance right now. Later he might need to have his proverbial ass kicked to get back in line—and Danny would be the first to do it—but right now Danny thought that type of tough love would break him. He needed kid gloves now.

Tears filled Steve's eyes. "I need…can you…something for pain?"

"Of course," Callie said to Steve, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Do you feel like you could drink a little something? I could grab you a bottle of water."

He made a face and shook his head. "Sprite? With ice?"

"Sure," she smiled. "I'll be right back." She gave Danny a quick look. Danny nodded, catching Callie's meaning— _Keep an eye on him._ She turned to go.

"Cal?" Steve asked. Callie paused with her hand on the door and turned toward him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you get Jack? I need Jack."

Callie tried to push her worry aside and smile. "Of course."

* * *

Steve shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

"What can I do?" Danny asked.

"Mmm," Steve turned his head into the pillow, closing his eyes and grimacing. Beads of sweat had broken out across his forehead. "Talk."

"Talk? Are you not the one who's always telling me to stop talking? Or that I talk too much?"

A ghost of a smile crossed Steve's pained face. "Usually. But I need a distraction now." He winced.

Danny cleared the lump in his throat and pushed himself to smile and act normally. "Well, my friend, I can definitely talk. It's one of my many talents, you know. So let's start with one of my favorite subjects. My darling daughter came home from cheer camp. Half the squad isn't talking to each other anymore because of some sort of falling out—don't even ask what it was about, I can't follow the drama that is the life of a teenage girl—but it was major, according to Grace. I'm sure you'll get to hear all about it from her. I think she talks to you more than she talks to me or Rachel, you know. She thinks the world of you, babe. She's out there, you know. In the waiting room. She came straight here to make sure you were gonna be alright. There's a lot of people out there with her. Lou, Tani, Junior…he's about beside himself, by the way. Worried sick, I think, but he has been so good to Callie. She had to talk him out of some major guilt—you know how you SEALs think everything is your fault; they must teach you that in SEAL school—but you'll probably have to talk to him too when you feel like it. Anyway, people out there—lots of SEALs but Mrs. Sally is keeping them in check, about half of HPD—the half you haven't managed to piss off lately—you're doing a lot better about that, by the way—I haven't had to worry about us not having them show up for backup in a long time. Which is nice, but I'm a little worried you might be using your touch, if you want to know the truth. They don't _all_ think you're an ass these days. It's a nice change of pace, really. Anyway, lots of people, Steven. So, when you're up to seeing them, they're there. But nobody's pushing, babe, and everyone understands. There's no rush, okay? Now, another favorite subject of mine, Charlie…"

* * *

As Danny continued his monologue, Callie approached the nurses' station. She smiled, seeing that Dinah was back.

"Dr. Ryan," Dinah said, smiling broadly. "I just came on duty and was going to come say hello soon. How is my favorite patient today?"

Callie stepped to the drink cart, grabbed a Sprite, and filled a cup with ice.

"Never mind," Dinah said, motioning to the items in Callie's hands. "That tells me everything I need to know right there. If he's asking for anything other than water, he must be feeling poorly."

Callie gave the kind nurse a weary smile. "You've figured him out, Dinah. He criticizes me for my love of soft drinks every chance he gets, but if he doesn't feel well that's what he always wants. He's still nauseous and in pain," Callie replied with a sigh. "I wish we could've waited to do the surgery. I understand the reason behind not waiting, but I think we pushed him. He's going to need surgery on his arm and hand too, so we're not even finished yet." Callie sighed. "I don't know if he can handle it. He's…in a bad place, Dinah."

Dinah nodded sympathetically. "Commander McGarrett's been through a lot, Dr. Ryan—"

" _Dinah,"_ Callie chuckled. "Please. We've all been through too much together. Please call us Steve and Callie. No more formal titles, okay?"

Dinah smiled at the young doctor. Callie had always been one of her favorites and she looked forward to days when her services were required at the hospital. Callie was fresh and bright and so down-to-earth. "Okay, Dr.— _Callie,"_ she corrected herself. "That's going to take some getting used to. Now, is there anything I can do for my favorite patient and his fiancée?"

"He asked if it would be possible for him to have something more for the pain."

Dinah nodded. "Of course."

"It's strange for him to ask for pain meds, isn't it?" Callie mused aloud. "He has to take so many medications for the transplant and radiation sickness, he's usually adamant about not taking anything else, even Tylenol."

Dinah touched her arm. "I guess that in itself lets us know how much he's hurting, poor thing."

Callie nodded and shook her head warily. "I know. Would you mind taking this to him when you take the pain meds? He's asking for Jack and I'm going to go get him from the waiting room."

"I'd be happy to," Dinah said, taking the items from Callie's hands.

* * *

"Knock, knock," Dinah said, tapping on the door of the hospital room as she pushed it open. Danny was sitting in a chair by the bed, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees and his hands clasped together, watching Steve. Steve's eyes were closed, but his face was tense.

"Is he asleep?" Dinah asked quietly, putting the soda and cup on the tray by the bed. She scanned his hospital bracelet and the syringe of medication before putting it into his IV.

"No," Danny replied. "Just not feeling well."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dinah said sincerely, rubbing Steve's shoulder for a few moments.

Steve blearily opened his eyes. He blinked slowly. His face relaxed, the pain lines around his eyes and mouth smoothing out. "Gave me somethin'?" he mumbled.

"Yes. We upped your pain medication just a bit. Is it helping?"

"Mmhm."

"Good."

Seeing that her patient was already drifting to sleep, Dinah smiled at Danny. "Let me know if he needs anything else, hon."

Danny nodded. "Thanks, Dinah."

* * *

"Hey, Danny," Jack said as he walked into the room. "You taking care of our boy?"

"Trying my best," Danny said with a smile. He stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go grab dinner with Grace. I'll bring something back for you, Cal."

"Thanks, Danno," Callie said, giving him a quick hug. Danny walked out of the room.

"How's he really doing, Callie?" Jack asked softly as he took in the sight of the man he thought of as a son. He held a sleeping Steve's hand at the same time he laid his other on top of Steve's head. He had been concerned when Callie came into the waiting room and said Steve was asking for him, but only him.

Callie sighed and pressed her lips together, frowning slightly as she looked at the sleeping man in the bed.

"He's…." she trailed off, sighing again and rubbing her forehead. "I don't know, Jack. Physically, he's…just okay. Not much better, not much worse. He has a fever again that's slowly creeping up. We're not sure if it's because of another infection or if it's just from the trauma his body has been through. We're all praying it's not another infection, but that's definitely a possibility. Psychologically…well, he's struggling. I think that's why he wanted you."

Jack nodded warily. "We're going to have to keep an eye on him. Torture like that…it takes a huge toll on a man." He shook his head slowly. "I wish I wouldn't have asked him to go. Sally's pretty upset with me right now." He gave Callie a half smile. "You can't get between her and that boy, you know. She has had a soft spot for him from way back. I'm going to be in the doghouse for a while."

"Oh, Jack, this isn't your fault. You know that."

"That doesn't make it any easier. He's like a son to me, and I put him in harm's way."

"He wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. And look at the good that came from the mission. The cartel was disbanded, drugs were taken off the streets, and Elisabeth…well, Elisabeth was an unexpected blessing to Steve and was able to get herself out of an impossible situation. No matter what he's suffering through, I know he wouldn't do anything differently."

They stopped their conversation when Steve began to stir. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking sluggishly.

"Hey, son," Jack said quietly. He moved his hand to the top of Steve's head again, gently rubbing his fingers through his hair.

"Hey," Steve breathed. He coughed and winced.

Callie offered him the cup Dinah had brought in earlier. He took a sip through the straw before leaning back and turning his head away.

"How are you?" Jack asked.

"I'll be fine, sir."

"I like the way you phrased that," Jack chuckled. His response earned a small smile from Steve.

"Yeah, well."

"No one expects you to be fine right now, Steve. You know that."

Steve nodded, looking away. "I know. I asked Cal to get you."

Jack waited.

"You know I've been here before."

Jack nodded.

"I can't…I can't do what I did before. I can't end up the way I was then. I have too much to lose now." Steve paused, looking Jack directly in the eyes. "I need you to call Brett, Jack. I need you to get him here."


End file.
